


Woods Witches & Hedge Wizards

by Cats_and_Crows



Series: Chronicles of the Coven [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, N plus A equals J, Rhaegar Targaryen Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:41:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 27
Words: 30,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cats_and_Crows/pseuds/Cats_and_Crows
Summary: Seven witches and wizards find themselves at the infamous Tourney of Harrenhal. Very different Rebellion ensues.
Relationships: Ashara Dayne/Ned Stark, Brandon Stark/Catelyn Tully Stark, Cersei Lannister/Rhaegar Targaryen, Elia Martell/Rhaegar Targaryen, Fleur Delacour/Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour/Harry Potter, Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger, Fleur Delacour/Luna Lovegood, Fleur Delacour/Neville Longbottom, Fleur Delacour/Nymphadora Tonks, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter/Nymphadora Tonks, Hermione Granger/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger/Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger/Nymphadora Tonks, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood/Nymphadora Tonks, Lysa Tully/Jaime Lannister, Neville Longbottom/Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom/Nymphadora Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks/Ginny Weasley, Robert Baratheon/Lyanna Stark
Series: Chronicles of the Coven [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915099
Comments: 40
Kudos: 198





	1. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - This story draws inspiration from "Reborn: Into the Wild Westeros" by Arkane007, "The Mage of the Eyrie" by Ethan76, "Legend of the Gryphon" by Katie Mcpherson, "Harry Potter and The Land of Ice and Fire" by kossboss, "A New World to Conquer" by LordOfTheGrey, "Harry Potter: The Game of the Deathly Hallows" by praxena, "The Road to Hell" by Seagate, "Harold the Heir" by Splawheel, and probably a dozen other amazing tales. I reread this story every time I resume working on it. This helps me catch grammar, spelling, and plot errors but does have the drawback of refreshing this story without adding more content and for that I'll apologize in advance. I may never respond to any of your comments but I do read them and try to address any concerns as well as consider any suggestions so please let me know what you are thinking.
> 
> Jon Snow is one of the most interesting characters for me in that there is a story to tell involving him being the son of Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne while their is also a story in him being the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. This story will be an N+A=J. I will eventually have another story of the coven in A Song of Ice & Fire that is R+L=J. I will also NEVER refer to this world as "Planetos."

The seven person coven had been in this new world for just over a week with no hope or desire to return to their old one. Everything they owned was in their bags and everyone they knew was dead. Westeros was not a place for the feint of heart or weak of stomach but the air was breathable and water was drinkable. They still found the land lacking in magic, monsters, and modern technology. Regardless, there was enough here to work with.

All of them had stuck to the shadows and discreetly learned as much as they could. Now was an ideal time to reveal themselves. Lowborn hedge knights and nameless sellswords were incredibly common at tourneys and one of the grandest ever held was about to start nearby. Nobles and smallfolk alike were gathering at Harrenhal in preparation for the festivities. As far as they could tell none of the other competitors even had magic and thus they could easily claim any prize offered. Each of them had every intention of winning as many competitions as they could.

They actually had plenty of coin but they couldn't reasonable explain to anyone where it came from. Thus they needed to be seen winning the prize money more than they actually needed the gold itself. The amounts offered were enough to build a castle or two though they would probably sit on it for a bit. The realm was on the brink of a civil war and the lines weren't clearly drawn. The upcoming war would serve as a useful distraction and allow them to go about unnoticed while everyone else was busy fighting.

This would be more of a chance for Harry and Neville to earn a knighthoods and/or find themselves hired on as a member of some lord's household guard. They could be ruthless pranksters when the need presented itself . Thus there were no qualms about cheating to win. Though most of them were big softies and would probably discreetly share those winnings with anyone who seemed to genuinely need them. It didn't take much research for them to figure out the ideal location for all their plans. They could ultimately set-up anywhere if they had to but the North was by far the best option for them. It was the poorest of the realms and thus their wealth would go farther there while their actions would go unnoticed longer. The Riverlands, Stormlands, and Vale were distant second choices mainly due to their current connections with the North.

None of the seven attracted any attention entering the ruined castle. The clothing and armor they wore was the best protection they had available yet it still held the appearance of garb worn by the poorer hedge knight. The "horses" were magical constructs that could take a cannonball as casually as a mosquito bite yet glamoured to look like cheap ponies. Luna winning the axe throwing contest earned a bit of notice. Hermione later winning the archery contest meant she raised a few more eyebrows. It wasn't until Ginny won the horse race and Fleur won the singing competition that people noticed they were together and they started getting job offers. Thanks to a bit of charmwork they managed to delay answering them until the end of festivities as they all wanted to hold off until they had all available options.

Ingratiating themselves with the northern party wasn't particularly difficult. They danced and drank away the nights with the northerners and their allies. After some subtle encouragement, Robert Baratheon took his betrothed aside and regaled her on how he was going to take her out hunting and riding across the Stormlands once they married. Luna had taken a liking to the girl and wanted to alleviate some of her fears on her upcoming marriage. It was clear that if they weren't addressed soon Lyanna was likely to panic and do something stupid. Teenage foolishness was liable to get someone killed with the current King of the throne. None of them were fond of arranged marriages but they were the norm here and thus wouldn't be going away anytime soon. Ultimately Robert wasn't a bad option all things considered. Not to mention they could also kill him later on if they were wrong.

They had only cheated by enhancing themselves in the first competitions. There was no need to hinder the others as each of them could surpass their opponent regardless. That wasn't the case with the melee or the joust. There were too many variables when it came to the melee, so Harry had subtle jinxes cast against those he fought. When it came to the joust they also wanted to control who Neville's opponent would be. His sabotage was discreet yet brutal, a rune painted on the inside of his shield would slowly sap the energy of the others while giving it to him. The same shield was also enchanted to harmlessly shatter any lances that struck it and prevent any of the impacting force from affecting him. His own lance was specifically designed to send his opponent flying while cushioning the blow to not actually harm them when they hit the ground. A swig of Felix Felicis beforehand and the others never stood a chance.

The crown prince was a charming but aloof son of a bitch. He spent most of the tournament daydreaming and gazing hungrily at the Stark party. A quick bit of legilimency later and Harry wanted to kill the ponce. Rhaegar knew his father was mad and ruining the kingdom but had supreme confidence in his own twisted interpretation of a prophecy to solve all his problems. His wife had nearly died giving him a daughter, and she could easily die giving him their second child. Yet he was already making contingencies for a third as oppose to trying to deal with his father. It was a pleasure for them to arrange him to get knocked out early on in the jousts by some lord from the Vale. The seven of them were still too much of an unknown to the others for Neville to risk taking down Rhaegar personally. The fact that the Vale lord lost his next tilt against one of the Starks who in turn lost to one of the Kingsguard who in turn lost to Neville himself added insult to the injury. Neville ended up crowning a random serving girl the Queen of love and beauty as he didn't wish to choose between his spouses.


	2. The Mad Prince

Rhaegar was fuming. His plans to convince the lords to help him claim the throne from his mad father were falling apart. Varys had probably shared his suspicions with his father. Varys didn't have proof as Rhaegar was far too cautious to leave a visible trail but there was nothing he could do in order to stop him from relaying speculation. Maybe he could salvage this somehow. The lords and smallfolk alike now saw his father for what he was rather than court rumors. They might not have otherwise believed the wild stories but there was little room for doubt when the truth is directly in front of you.

His wife had already given him the first head of the dragon and soon there would be a second. Soon he would have Aegon. The maesters were hesitant and he didn't blame them for their caution. They were merely men of science but he was an instrument of fate. He was beautiful and charming, the realm loved him and waited with bated breath for him to rescue them from Aerys. He regretted those who burned on his father's whim but their sacrifice would be honored when he took the throne.

Even if the birthing bed claimed Elia, he could replace her easily enough. The realm had no shortages of maidens that would happily give him further children. He thought back to his ancient Westerosi history and remembered Garth Greenhand. He had countless descendants and three of them reigned as high kings until his family claimed their crowns. The Gardeners burned in the Field of Fire, the Lannisters submitted after narrowly surviving the Field of Fire, and the Starks knelt to spare their subjects from a second Field of Fire.

Both the Lannisters and the Starks had daughters that were of the right age to replace gentle Elia should the worst happen. Rhaegar was confidant he could claim either without much fuss. The Starks were the better option as they hadn't done anything to upset his father and they were still owed a marriage with his family. The wording of the pact was his family owed the Starks a daughter but surely they wouldn't complain if he took one of theirs instead. Her upcoming marriage to his cousin was of little concern. He could always give subtle suggestions to his father and leave him thinking her betrothed was plotting against the throne. Aerys would than kill Robert for him and free up Lyanna. Robert Baratheon had just enough blood relation that once his father murdered him he could be named a kinslayer and that might rally more to his cause against his father. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to get the Stark girl alone and thus hardly knew anything about her.

Another setback was the fortune he had given Lord Whent to use as prizes was lost to a handful of smallfolk. Two men and four women had won the main competitions including the joust. The men weren't even knights beforehand as he saw them being knighted after winning their respective contests. The money wasn't intended to be spent, it was just there to used as an enticement and lure out lords who wouldn't have bothered attending otherwise. He had planned on mitigating the cost by either winning some of it back himself or one of his men. Yet he had lost early in the joust and the man that unhorsed him had fallen in his next joust. He wasn't terribly worried about the gold itself as he had plenty to spare. His main concern was in not letting the Spider trace this back to him. It was just another task he would have to put some loyal men on that he could have used elsewhere.

Rhaegar briefly thought about simply killing them off quietly after the tourney but they had already written up contracts with the Harrenhal maester for the gold to be spent. Mace Tyrell and Oberyn Martell had already signed off agreeing to export food North to Winterfell in return for the prize money. Those two would now raise seven hells about the promised coin even if he did manage to dispose of those peasants as too many people now knew where the gold was suppose to go and what was promised in exchange for it. Rhaegar had no desire to upset either of them, let alone both. He would grit his teeth and bare the inconvenience. Ultimately, a handful of smallfolk didn't matter in the grand scheme regardless of their newfound winnings.

He sent men to learn what he could about them on the off chance they were secretly working for one of the other lords. The story they were telling was that they were simply wandering hedge wizards and wood witches that only had arms and armor as payment for services rendered over the years. Rhaegar didn't exactly believe that and found it far more likely they had claimed the gear from various knights that died under their care. They clearly weren't bandits as they were far too charitable with their winnings. Even the Kingswood Brotherhood kept the lion's share of their loot. Instead they spent it on food for the poorest of the Seven Kingdoms in what seemed to be an attempt to curry favor with the Stark heir.

That worried Rhaegar more than he was willing to admit to. Each of the Seven Kingdoms had been relatively independent from each other before the Targaryens arrived in Westeros. That self-reliance had proven useful in conquering them as even at the height of the Targaryen conquest only two of the kingdoms could put aside their differences and work together in order to face his ancestors. Aegon had quickly gone about forcing a dependency on his subjects. Every one of the nine realms now relied on the other eight for one thing or another with the possible exception of Dorne. Torrhen Stark had only surrendered his crown to spare the North from dragonflame. When the dragons died the only thing that kept them under Targaryen rule was their honor and they no longer had the resources needed to be independent again. The North needed to stay poor and desperate if control over them was to be maintained. 

It was an open secret that the Winterfell maester was doing an admirable job of discouraging such notions of independence. The Starks almost always looked out for their own bannermen but they weren't exactly known for their cunning and they would gladly go along with any actions that were perceived as benefiting them. Rickard Stark was now trying to bind his family to the realm as a whole solely because he believed it was in the North's best interest. So long as this surplus of food was a one time thing it wouldn't be too harmful to throw the North a bone, especially if he could figure out a means of taking credit for it.


	3. No Longer Legends

The Tourney at Harrenhal turned out well enough for the seven magicals. They had all gotten along with the four Starks in attendance. The current Lord Stark was still in Winterfell but all of his potential heirs had made an appearance. His eldest was limited in what he could do while his father still ruled and thus could only make agreements that heavily favored the Starks. They had been brought on as part of Lyanna's household and would eventually travel with her to Storm's End in return for the ridiculously amount of food and coin they had gifted to Winterfell. Once he inherited lordship from his father he would grant them a remote patch of land to build on that they could pass on to their children.

That should give them enough time to work out a few of the kinks in their plans. Since the Potter name was already taken and the Longbottom name would probably inspire ridicule they had tentatively agreed on all future children taking the birth mother's name instead. It also gave them time to figure out which inventions they would introduce to the locals. They had unanimously decided on not sharing anything that a squib descendant wouldn't be able to replicate as that could cause problems down the line. They would also leave naming all their introductions to the natives. Several inventions had names based off of cultures, places, or religions that just didn't exist in this world.

Harry had secured himself a knighthood from Lord Yohn Royce when he beat the man in the melee as he didn't want to be defeated by someone who wasn't even a knight. Neville earned his from Prince Oberyn Martell as a bonus when he used his winnings to purchase food from Dorne. Knighthood had some serious perks, most notably was the ability to demand a "Trial by Combat." Thanks to their magic giving them an edge they were now largely free to do as they pleased. It was nice to have that safety net even if they had no further interest in showing off. They won a fortune and immediately spent it. Legilimency had revealed more than one lord who immediately went about plotting their murder in some scheme to steal their newfound coin. 

Magic was rare here, but it wasn't nonexistent. Not only did the vast majority acknowledge the existence of magic, most viewed it as evil and an abomination against their gods. They were almost certainly going to die if they attracted too much attention before they established a stronghold to rely on. Sheer numbers would overwhelm the seven of them if the populace were to ever realize what they were or just how much wealth they truly possessed. Discretion was the key to their continued survival. Winning the Harrenhal Tourney had earned them some acclaim but it would be forgotten after the next major tourney. They had no desire to be singled out for either praise or ridicule. Ideally they would quietly earn that isolated bit of land from the Starks and enjoy their fresh start.

The coven had kept the predator prince away from the impressionable Lyanna Stark. Rhaegar had skulked about waiting to catch her alone and was sorely disappointed when they denied him the opportunity. He was gorgeous, had an allure similar to a veela, and concealed his madness from all but the most observant of eyes. They honestly might have fallen for it had they not been able to freely peer into his thoughts. Nearly everything about him was a facade as his only concern was an ancient prophecy that in his arrogance he assumed meant his son. Rhaegar had maintained his noble image almost solely due to being measured against his own demented father. He wasn't willing to directly move against Aerys while Elia was still pregnant with his promised prince. It might have even been a noble thought if not for the fact he viewed his wife as nothing more than a broodmare and was happy to indirectly attack his father as long as he had someone else to burn in his stead. Both he and his father were beyond hope and ironically they were unintentionally supporting each other. You couldn't kill Aerys without elevating Rhaegar and you couldn't kill Rhaegar without further maddening Aerys.

Luckily they would be putting some serious distance between themselves and the Targaryens as they were now heading towards Winterfell with most of the Starks. Brandon, Lyanna, and Benjen would return home to enjoy another year or so in the North before coming back south for Brandon's marriage to Catelyn Tully and Lyanna's marriage to Robert Baratheon. The four siblings parted barely a week after leaving Harrenhal as Eddard would spend the next year in the Vale finishing up his fostering with the Arryns. They wouldn't be reunited again until the wedding.

Frail Elia was the subject of much debate when the seven of them were alone. They couldn't offer much help without being noticed and ultimately that was the last thing they wanted especially with her current goodfather sitting on the throne. The Kingsguard were nothing to scoff at and there just wasn't a means to aid her while still going unnoticed. Restoring her to what she should have been would take the better part of a year and none of them felt like lingering around the royal family for that long. The solution they decided on was to slip her brother Prince Oberyn some potions along with written instructions. The coven had no doubt he would test them before giving them to Elia so they made sure to give him a little extra. These potions would only provide temporary relief but it was the best they were willing to offer at the moment. More importantly, the potions bought them enough time to implement a more permanent solution.

Once they reached Winterfell they would slowly go about introducing some medical advances. The North would allow them to safely share these treatments away from prying eyes. Thus they would have a solid reputation by the time word reached the Targaryens. The seven had dreamed of earning a name as healers and teachers rather than soldiers. It was merely a fantasy at their old world but a strong possibility in their new one. Their old world could only see them as warriors to call upon against the monsters regardless of their other accomplishments. The coven could leave behind a legacy of life here they would be proud of rather than the constant cycle of death that had inspired nothing but regret and had driven them to abandon their own home.


	4. Gold Dragon

Everything was going better than Cersei could have ever hoped for. Her brother was on the Kingsguard and the beautiful future king was quietly courting her. His marriage had been arranged by Aerys and his sickly wife had only given him a daughter so far. The Dornish whore would most likely die along with the next babe. She just couldn't understand why the king had chosen Elia Martell for his son when she was clearly the better choice in every way.

Obviously Rhaegar had seen the grave error his father had made and would correct it once he rose to the throne. Now that sweet Jaime was a part of his guard it shouldn't be too difficult to arrange an accident that would speed up that rise. Targaryens had multiple wives in the past so even if Elia survives childbirth, Cersei would be queen. Her father controlled most of the small council so it wouldn't even be a challenge proving to the court that she was the superior queen. Elia would be a queen in name only while Cersei would have the real power to shape Westeros however she saw fit. History would remember Elia as just one of many mistakes Aerys had made while she would be memorialized as the one who helped King Rhaegar bring the realms to previously unheard of heights.

The prince losing early in the jousts had presented her with a golden opportunity to comfort him. The tourney and the joust only mattered in the short term. Winning or losing was only relevant until the next one. The realm would quickly forget the Tourney of Harrenhal and Rhaegar would have other chances to crown her queen of love and beauty. 

She had tasted him and found him to be everything she could possible want. The crown prince was strong yet malleable, a dreamer that would let her raise their son however she wished. Her son would be the greatest king in the history of the known world. He would have the beauty and charm of his father with the cunning and ferocity that came with Lannister blood. It wouldn't surprise her if the realm remade the calendars upon his ascension.

Casterly Rock was impressive but even she could admit it was second to the Iron Throne. She had plenty of cousins who could have it. Jaime was better off with her in King's Landing even if he did miss the festivities. Cersei made a mental note to arrange an accident of some kind for Tyrion. Cersei would be damned if she let that little demon rule over anything bigger than a chicken coop. Maybe she would summon for him to come to King's Landing. Aerys saws enemies everywhere and was known for destroying the smallest of perceived threats. He would surely see the danger that the dwarf was and react appropriately. Her father only spared the imp that murdered her mother because of the taboo involving kinslaying. The king was under no such restriction and even mad beasts have their uses from time to time.

Rhaegar was soon to be joining Jaime in King's Landing. The two of them would lay the groundwork for her power base while waiting on developments on the King and that foolish harlot he had chosen for his heir. Aerys was old and Elia was frail. Both of which meant they could die any day now. Provided those deaths didn't occur too close to each other the realm would happily not dig too deep. Maybe the gods would deal with them for her, she hadn't prayed much but it would be a fair apology for taking her mother all those years ago.

She knew her father would be furious about her brother but he didn't understand the bond she had with her twin. She needed him as much as he needed her. Cersei couldn't inform her father on the full scope of her plans nor could she share just how far she had gone with the crown prince. She was already a queen as far as she was concerned, the rest of the realm just didn't know it yet. Her father didn't need to know everything despite what he might believe. Cersei also felt he would more readily go along with the plot if she told him Rhaegar had approached her with it.

Father and King Aerys had disagreements over the years but she had never heard him mention an unkind word about the crown prince or any of his actions. Once he learns that Rhaegar is searching for a better bride than he should be able to help with minimizing Elia's influence if not outright dispatching her and Aerys. For now all Cersei had to do was gather her belongings and prepare her handmaidens. Rhaegar would soon call for her and she must be ready to go with him.

She regaled her father with as much as see was willing to share with him about the situation. The calm never left his face or voice as he patiently listened while occasionally asking for specific details. He jotted down notes and seemed content with her plan before going about making his own preparations which for some reason involved purchasing vast amounts of food from the Reach and selling weapons to the Stormlands. Military tactics weren't her specialty but she knew her father must have a good reason for what he was doing. His slight smile was the closest she would ever get to high praise from the man.

Cersei gave a wicked grin as she imagined herself heavy with child to the future King of Westeros. Her enemies dead and fed to dogs if not rats. Her strong son holding the realm together for a dynasty that would last a thousand years. Cersei pondered over giving the future king brothers and sisters to expand the Seven Kingdoms and rule in his name. The image of a pride of golden dragons ruling the world filled her with a level of happiness she hadn't experienced since she was a child. The pieces were falling into place. The obstacles in her path were trivial and would be handled soon enough. She thought of every possible scenario that would make her queen and dutifully rehearsed her lines depending on how the upcoming events played out. Cersei could feign sympathy and even tears if the need presented itself. She could mimic righteous anger while promising justice or swearing vengeance. She could see many paths and they all led to her child on the Iron Throne.


	5. Still Heroes

The trip north was peaceful. The Kingsroad offered them plenty of time to think. The further they went the worse the road got. It was in desperate need of repair by their standards. While the southern part wasn't too bad, the quality almost immediately plummeted once you passed The Neck. It wasn't surprising as the natives had more important matters to deal with, namely not starving. 

The seasons of this world were unpredictable and clearly magical in nature. Winters and summers could last either years or months and it seemed to be guesswork which it would be at any given time. The North felt this worse than any of the other kingdoms as even in summer they would freeze. Food was scarce here and the northmen were forced to accept cutthroat prices from the southern kingdoms in order to eke out a living. The south was nearly as dependent on the hides and timber from the North but being slightly more capable of going without gave them the advantage and allowed them to trade at extortion level rates. They could help with that once they gained a foothold in the North. The difficult part was establishing a foundation that could be maintained without magic. While they would be around for a while, it wouldn't be forever. The coven couldn't be depending on future generations having much less using magic. A reliance on magic was one of the many problems with their old world and they intended to prevent it from ever happening in the first place with their new home. They would use magic to build their home but they were going to insure it could be maintained strictly through mundane means.

Winterfell itself was an impressive castle even if it had seen better days. Repairs were a luxury that the Starks couldn't always afford. It seemed to be at least a generation or two since the last major renovation as the harsh weather had battered the outskirts of the ancient stronghold. Unfortunately, Winterfell was a fairly central location by northern standards and they couldn't magically restore it without drawing attention to themselves. The best they could hope for was to discreetly make the Starks flush with the necessary resources and hope they underwent the needed builds themselves.

The maester here was loyal to the realm as a whole and saw the hardships of the North as necessary for the prosperity of the rest of the kingdom in particular the Reach. The northerners were simply a resource to be exploited in his mind. It reminded the coven far too much of Dumbledore or Grindelwald's "Greater Good" and they were happy to dispose of him in the night. One killing curse while he slept and a broken window hatch gave the impression he had simply succumbed to the chill. He wasn't the type of man to leave any written evidence of his thought process so he was mourned as a loyal servant. Rickard Stark was a practical man and handed control of the ravenry over to Luna in order to request a replacement maester. While she knew a fair bit of animal training, it was far easier on her part to simply use a map and charm the ravens to go where she wanted them. Thanks to magic, they wouldn't be intercepted and would make remarkable time. Annoyingly, the Citadel didn't seem to think much of the North and responded that they would send Luwin from Riverrun after Brandon and Catelyn's wedding in order to ease the transition for the future Lady Stark. In the meantime Winterfell would go roughly another year without a maester.

Lord Stark also supported the agreement his heir had made with them and in fact improved upon it. He gave them lordship over Sea Dragon Point. The area was isolated and had little of value besides being occasionally used as a staging ground by ironborn and wildling reavers. After explaining their personal situation involving marriages and children he decided that they would pledge fealty directly to the Starks of Winterfell while their eventual heirs would serve as bannermen under the neighboring Glovers. Thus they had a little more leeway with constructing their home but wouldn't be viewed as reaching above their perceived station in the long term by the other northern lords. Lord Stark had chosen to gift them this land now as oppose to later because he wanted to properly gauge their capabilities rather than leaving it to Brandon. The increase in potential revenue from taxes was another contributing factor as he felt there was no reason to wait on. They had already gifted Winterfell a fortune even by southern standards and he was curious how much more they could offer.

The coven was feeling charitable and provided Rickard with sketches and instructions for just over twenty inventions with the only condition being not sharing the means of creating them outside of the North for at least three generations. They ranged from trivial trinkets such as fountain pens and lighters to the more practical inventions like bicycles and spring mattresses. It was only a fraction of what they planned on eventually releasing but it should be enough to provide Winterfell with a large influx of new revenue while they're busy building their new home. The coven also picked them because they couldn't see any of them coming back to hurt them later on. Based off how much the North had been bled by the southern kingdoms over the past couple centuries they highly doubted the Starks would willingly share this secret even after the three generations passed.

Everything was going well enough for them it was almost refreshing when they learned that they had overlooked something. Prince Oberyn Martell had recognized Neville's handwriting and tracked them down once he had confirmed the effectiveness of the potions they had given him. Thankfully he didn't threaten them and instead pleaded for them to help his sister. He offered any gift within his power to grant. It was a snag in their plans but none of them could turn down the man as he was only trying to save his sibling. In addition to a unnamed favor at a later date they only demanded his discretion when making the necessary arrangements. Oberyn didn't even hesitate and quickly agreed. Now for the first time in decades the seven magicals were going to split-up and be away from each other for months if not a year. Communication mirrors would allow them to keep in touch but it just wasn't the same. Two would head towards Sea Dragon Point to begin building their new home, three would stay in Winterfell as part of Lyanna's household and the remaining two would follow Prince Oberyn to King's Landing to heal his sister. They spent one more night together before drawing straws in the morning to determine their destination.


	6. Worth Something

Ned Stark was a nervous wreck. He was only a second son but he was courting the most beautiful woman in Westeros. They had met at Harrenhal and kept in touch through ravens. Ned had finally worked up the nerve to ask her to accompany him to his brother's wedding to ask his father for his blessing to marry her. He didn't know what she saw in him but he was determined to live up to it. He was neither handsome nor guaranteed to inherit anything. His father or elder brother would probably give him a keep somewhere in the North but he knew she deserved better.

If he was being honest with himself Ashara deserved better than even Winterfell itself. Somehow she was content with him of all people. Admittedly, the North would be doing slightly better since those smallfolk had donated the entire winnings of the Tourney at Harrenhal to Winterfell but he didn't imagine it would last. It had been spent on food so more would survive the next winter but he didn't expect anything else to come of it.

The bargain they had struck with his brother still perplexed him. They had won enough coin to buy a small keep nearly anywhere in Westeros but they used it to get land in the North. As a northman he loved the North but he knew that the land lacked any appeal to outsiders. There was a reason most of Westeros viewed his homeland as a haven for barbarians little better than wildlings or the mountain clans of the Vale. It was a harsh and brutal teacher that would effortless kill even the most capable of lone wolves. Only the pack was strong enough to survive the North.

Based off their accents he was fairly certain none of them were from the North. So he was left confused as to why these outsiders would want to make a home for themselves in the North of all places. They didn't even ask for a keep, they asked for land to build a keep which they wouldn't even be granted until Brandon took lordship of Winterfell. He shared his concerns with Jon and Robert. Robert didn't seem to care while Jon was as clueless about their motivations as he was.

Regardless of their motivations they had taken Robert aside and given the young Lord of Storm's End the needed advice to properly court his sister. Ned would forever be grateful for that as he was previously making a fool of himself and now he had at least toned down his behavior while Lyanna was around. He was under no actual obligation to them if something happened to Brandon but he would gladly give them something to show his gratitude if he were ever in the position to do so. Ned just wished he knew what drove their actions.

At this point his fostering had become a formality. This could easily be his last year in the Vale for the immediate future. Jon Arryn had taught him everything he was going to and there was just nothing more to learn here. He would return North with his brother and father once his siblings were wed. Convincing his father might be a little difficult but his larger concern was convincing Ashara's father. Proving Ashara's value to his father would be child's play when compared to proving his own value to Ashara's father.

He still had to try if for no other reason than not to live in regret. The words given to him that allowed him to approach Ashara in the first place sprung to the front of his mind "If you don't ask, the answer is already no." The strange blonde axe throwing woods witch had given him better advice on women in a single sentence than Robert had given him in years of friendship and countless crude statements. She hadn't even meant to be insightful as she resumed her decorative carving on her axe handle immediately after speaking.

On a whim he had sent a raven to his father asking for his blessing to marry Ashara. He had originally planned on waiting to see his father in person but was grateful he had abandoned that idea when he received his father's reply. Not only did his father agree he was informed that he was going to be granted lordship over Moat Cailin. It seemed the North was doing far better than he left it as they had the resources to expand. Ned nearly cried with tears of joy.

The Moat had fallen to disrepair after being abandoned for centuries but the foundation was still sturdy. Nobody had been foolish enough to attack the North via land since Aegon's conquest and thus the Wardens of the North simply had larger priorities than an unneeded shield. It meant the food and resources the smallfolk had given Winterfell went further than he realized and he briefly wondered if they would be his sworn bannermen. Being on the border of the North also had the advantage of better weather. While still freezing by southron standards it was far more palatable than some of the other abandoned keeps he might have been given.

Both Robert and Jon promised to open up trade with him once he shared the news to the Eyrie. He was especially thankful as this was greatly adding to his own perceived value and would aid him in convincing Ashara's father to allow her to marry him. He quickly writes a letter explaining everything to Ashara while asking for advice on how to approach her father. She replies that she will handle everything. Ned would have probably been concerned if anybody else had told him that but there were few in Westeros he trusted as much as his beloved and none than he trusted more. Robert may be his best friend and Brandon may be his family but he knew better than to completely trust either of them as they were prone to pranks providing they didn't see any harm in them. Robert as his usually self had suggested they head for a brothel to celebrate. Ned didn't want to go but was practically dragged the whole way. He paid the woman for her time but spent the night drinking tea and asking for insight on what women like. The whore seemed genuinely amused that he wasn't even interested in fucking her and agreed to share her thoughts. Despite her offering to share the bed, Ned slept on the floor that night right after gently pricking his finger to reassure himself this wasn't all just a dream.


	7. Harrenhal With a Port

Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom looked upon the land Rickard Stark had gifted them and immediately saw the potential and the problems. There wasn't much here to work with. Less than a dozen families across the entire coast. Without magic it would be impractical to build anything long term here. The resources here were more suited to temporary camps. Hunters and reavers could make a good living here but the environmental conditions were not suited for farming or building. No matter what they planned it seemed they would have to use magic to create their home.

Harrenhal was built in forty years so they figured it wouldn't be too conspicuous if theirs was built in thirty. Not that they actually planned on taking that long as they would freely cheat while nobody was around. They had in fact built the first tower in a single day and spent the following week enchanting nearly a hundred workers to give the appearance of mundane construction. The workers were basic golems with a glamour to appear human. They could follow relatively complex instructions and would work nonstop until their task was completed. At that point they would walk towards them and ask for further orders. These constructs could finish construction in thirty years on their own and they still had plans to help them along. Not to mention the charms to work nearly ten times as fast when nobody is watching.

It was more challenging but safer to finish building quickly. They could always place illusions to give the appearance of being a work in progress. Winterfell was about to make a fortune and they hoped it would distract the rest of Westeros from looking too closely on a handful of newly made noble houses. They wanted the North to be flush with coin by the time anyone paid attention to them at which point it they wouldn't be as out of place.

Ginny also went to work on defenses and decided to take a page from Slytherin's playbook. She bred six basilisks before ritually binding them to the coven. Salazar had left his alone to protect Hogwarts but the creatures were liable to go insane if ignored for long periods of time. By binding them she was able to control their gaze and it was only lethal when the coven wished for it to be. Binding the basilisks also sped up their growth a bit and shortened their lifespans as they would die with the coven. It was probably for the best as the creatures would start to go rabid after their second century. They were under strict instructions to patrol the seas and only attack ships that were ironborn pirates and to drag the ships to the shore. Otherwise they were to remain unseen. If they were unsure they were simply to follow the ship until they could determine the crew. Additionally basilisk dung was almost as good a fertilizer as dragon dung. 

Neville or Ginny would than convert the ships into fishing vessels for the locals to use and raise the dead pirates as inferi to "help" the workers. Neville would than feed the inferi to the weirwood groves once they became too damaged. His scans had revealed that the weirwood trees didn't starve and simply went dormant if they weren't fed. They required flesh and blood that was preferably human but not needed. While the concept seemed evil, Neville had thoroughly investigated the trees and found the magic within them to be neutral while thinking out loud that it would be ideal to grow them downhill of slaughter houses or maybe even hospitals. He also went about building the greenhouses or glass gardens as this world called them. It wasn't empty boasting when Neville stated he could easily grow fours times as many crops as anyone else. His only concern was that this talent was instinctual as he had difficulty putting it into words. He could still give decent instructions but regardless of how hard he attempted he just couldn't teach anyone else to be as good as he was. Since he wasn't going to live forever this was a problem the coven would eventually have to deal with.

It was barely a month after arriving that the first crew of ironborn arrived with ill intentions. The basilisks killed them before they even reached the shore and left no survivors. They transfigured the ship to remove any evidence it was ever ironborn. The vessel was than gifted to the family furthest away from them that still technically fell under their rule while charming the nets to be extra effective for the next year or so. After consulting Hermione on the mirror they managed to arrange a way for the charm to be recharged every time they visited their newly built port. Roughly another month passed before the next ironborn and again the basilisks dealt with the crew before they were even remotely a threat.

Half the nearby families were gifted ships taken from the ironborn within the year as attacks had dropped once they realized there were no survivors. Ships from the Iron Islands just didn't return if they went far enough north. Additionally the current Lord of the Iron Islands was apparently against raiding along with most of the more brutal ironborn customs though the same couldn't be said for any of his children. Ginny figured attacks would increase next generation and wanted to take advantage of the respite. The castle wasn't that impressive to the outside world as they kept major illusions on it to hide and downplay that it was nearly complete and basically Harrenhal with a port. 

It had thick walls with Devil's Snare perfectly placed near but not at the top. The dangerous plant wouldn't target anybody on the ground or any future patrols on the top but would eagerly target anyone attempting to climb up from the outside. The foundations for five towers had been laid out and would be completed as soon as believable. The world as a whole wasn't ready for electricity or modern plumbing but their personal homes had both and the castle was designed to easily incorporate them at a later date. The inferi were literally worked to the bone within weeks and used to fuel the weirwoods. This led to the need for more constructs to pose as the workforce as the population reached nearly a hundred. They couldn't build a road straight to Winterfell without crossing a large body of water and that remained a feat they didn't want people to know them capable of. They sent ravens to the neighboring lords requesting permission to build a road to their keep. Now their next major concern was what to name their new home.


	8. Targaryen Tears

King's Landing smelled of shit but that was nothing new for Rhaella Targaryen. It was an open sewer with nearly three centuries of death and decay behind it. She now had two grandchildren being raised in this cesspit. Rhaegar wouldn't listen to reason when told his wife simply couldn't give him a third child. It was the first time she saw a hint of the madness in her son that was clear as crystal for his father.

Her brother was ruining the kingdom out of spite. His once closest friend had served him loyally for decades yet once Aerys became jealous of Tywin he went about undoing all his accomplishments and insulting the man at every opportunity. She wasn't surprised that stealing the man's heir was the death blow to his service. Jaime Lannister was even sweeter than his mother. King's Landing was not the place for such an innocent soul.

She could see traces of Joanna in all of her children. Jaime had her gentle yet fiercely protective nature, Cersei had her beauty, and even little Tyrion had her wisdom and cunning. Joanna had survived King's Landing because she was both cautious and insightful. She expected deceit and was never caught off guard. Joanna's son on the other hand was dangerously trusting and tended to accept events at face value. He took his oaths seriously and would now willingly lay down his life for her family even though she herself had doubts the Targaryen family were worth it these days.

Elia had recovered faster from the birth of Aegon than she had with Rhaenys. She was largely ignored by both her husband and goodfather ever since the maesters confirmed she was now barren. Rhaegar had been so focused on Aegon she was honestly surprised by his indifference towards the babe now that he was born. He immediately moved on towards wanting a second daughter. Elia couldn't give him another child so he began looking elsewhere.

Rhaegar thought he was bring discreet but he was her son. Rhaella always had a fairly good idea what was going through his mind. For the longest time she had believed the Targaryen madness had skipped over her firstborn but she knew better now. It had simply taken a bit longer to manifest than usual. Her secondborn had the same traces now as Rhaegar despite being seventeen years younger. She worried what that meant for his future as she couldn't even attempt to reign it in while Aerys was still alive. The bad Targaryen kings historically had at least left decent heirs that were ready and capable of repairing the damage their predecessor had left. Aerys would need an heir greater than The Conciliator to keep the realm whole and Rhaella wasn't sure her family had one.

She hoped infant Aegon would grow to become that savior but hated her family for putting such an extreme burden on her newborn grandson. Another part that she did her best to deny wanted to just leave it all behind. Take her children and grandchildren far away from that accursed throne that had brought about centuries of war upon her family. To most of Westeros the Targaryens were kings in name only as anywhere not directly under their supervision fell to the Lords Paramount who were largely left to their own devices. An empty title, a city of shit, and the world's least comfortable chair were not worth dying over.

Rhaegar had left the capital without a word to her. He had only taken two of the Kingsguard while leaving his wife and children behind. She couldn't believe that it didn't occur to her son to take them with him. Wherever he was going was safer than being left here in striking distance of her husband. Fortunately, two of the remaining Kingsguard could be counted on to protect them. Prince Lewyn was Elia's uncle who was more loyal to his family than his oaths and of course there was young Jaime Lannister. Rhaella had casually mentioned to him that while Rhaegar was away his wife and children would require more care than usual. She felt slightly guilty manipulating him but it was for the best that he focused on Elia and the children rather than Aerys.

Rhaella dreaded whatever her son was planning. Her brother suspected treachery everywhere and her son had long since abandoned discretion. Aerys wasn't quite willing to disinherit his eldest without proof but he was completely ready to do so the moment he possessed the needed evidence. His council was composed entirely of cowards and lickspittles. His visions were insane and contradicting each other. One day he would wish for a tourney to draw in the crowds and the next he would burn the smallfolk to clear the air. Anybody that had tried to inform him of the foolishness of these actions burned a long time ago. Every single person still in the city was terrified to tell him no regardless of the absurdity of whatever demands he made. Even most of the usual players were keeping their distance from the Crownlands and quietly just waiting for him to die of old age.

New arrivals were fairly common. New arrivals that somehow managed to survive a while on the other hand were quite rare. Most would either be murdered by Aerys or realize just how dangerous he is and promptly leave. Rhaella was concerned about the hedge wizard and woods witch that Prince Oberyn had brought to court. It was on the advice of a woods witch that her father had arranged her marriage to her brother. She didn't trust either of them but Oberyn had brought them to treat his sister as he wanted a second opinion on her condition. The wizard managed to temporarily appease Aerys by gifting him a valyrian tome on secret healing practices. The book was clearly centuries old and she recognized the sigil as belonging to extinct House of Qoherys. He claimed to have been gifted the book in return for treating an injured horse from an unknown knight just before the Tourney of Harrenhal. Her brother became content to ignore the man once he learned that the Dornish were covering his expenses.

It was at the mentioning of the Harrenhal Tourney that many amongst the court recognized him as the winner of the melee. One person had even recognized the witch as the archery contest winner. They seemed to ignore the court gossip and went to the task of healing Elia. The pair had confirmed she was barren but claimed it was only temporary and they could heal her in roughly five years.


	9. Plans Within Plans

Fleur Delacour, Luna Lovegood, and Nymphadora Tonks had drawn the boring straws and were comfortably in Winterfell. They were part of Lyanna Stark's household and served as handmaidens. It was insightful as the teenager was a typical tomboy and would constantly complain about the pointless chores girls were typically assigned. Most of which they had an invention ready to make the job far easier or at least cut down on the time they took up.

The misogyny of Westeros was fairly widespread as women were consistently given the more degrading tasks. They didn't really have much experience with that as they could simply use magic to solve their problems. It was nice to get a local's perspective even if she was unwittingly giving it. Pre-electric laundry and sewing machines cut the needed time and effort down to a fraction of what it had been before. Ice cream and popcorn makers proved incredibly popular and went quite far in removing the rough image of the northerners who reacted like children with too much sugar. The coven found it humorous to listen to the otherwise serious men passionately debate on a name for these devices. As if naming the inventions gave them any right to them. Some of them might be in for a rude awakening in the near future.

In short the work that men typically felt was beneath them and thus tasked women with was where they prioritized sharing inventions to lighten the load. The coven figured it would subtly encourage the Westerosi towards including the other half of their population in the workforce.

The three of them routinely altered their appearance to take on the look of men in order to go exploring undisturbed. It took them a total of four months to create an improved Marauder's Map covering Winterfell. Names in green were the residents, names in yellow were guests, and names in red were hostiles. The map was also much larger than the original in order to simultaneously cover more ground as it was both two meters long and wide. Once they made the first map it only took a week to make the second which they promptly sent to Sea Dragon Point so Ginny and Neville could keep tabs on them. Two would be enough for now as they could always make more later and might have to redo the ones already made depending on how much Winterfell expands.

Perhaps the greatest trick they pulled was on the king himself. The book detailed the various medical and nutritional value of various animals, minerals, and plants. It also carried various recipes for simple potions and tonics along with intermediate first-aid. It was a few centuries ahead of the time and would have otherwise been scoffed at but by converting it to an ancient rarely spoken language, stamping the symbol of a long dead noble house with minor connections to the Targaryens and magically aging the tome it was taken as gospel. It would also serve to introduce Westeros to the metric system even if they did rename it "King's measurements" just to stroke his ego and further tempt the lunatic.

The coven didn't actually have a problem with the metaphorical boat being rocked as long as they weren't the ones rocking it. They just wanted the good life that had been denied to them on their old world. This was the fresh start they had worked so hard for. The last thing they wished for was another war. They would gladly help others but it would be on their own terms this time. They had already sacrificed too much for something that simply didn't matter at all. The coven had tried dragging the world kicking and screaming towards a better future and had painfully learned it didn't work.

Here they could be anything they wanted. Their children could be anything they wanted. They were free from their old reputations and safe from vengeful dark wizards or demands from the public to be saved. Taking the mantle of hedge wizards and woods witches had been a practical decision as despite the name these titles didn't include magic and thus people would assume even their magical treatments were mundane. It was always their intention to utilize magic to establish their reputation and than ease themselves off of magic as they slowly shared their various advancements.

Winterfell was solidly built. Even under decades of neglect it stood strong. Brandon the Builder had left an impressive foundation as even with their modern advantages there were few improvements they could think of making other than simple repairs. They did what they could while nobody was watching but they stuck with the plan of leaving the majority of work to the Starks themselves. They would hopefully chose to finance the restorations once they starting raking in the needed gold and resources.

It wouldn't be difficult. The North was about to experience a windfall of desperately needed resources due to a combination of the ungodly amount of food they had given, the inventions they shared, and the increase in tax revenue. They had more gold and jewels than they could ever reasonably spend and had no qualms about sharing it with Winterfell if it kept people from freezing or starving to death. The coven's only financial concern was that they could personally flood the market and cause mass inflation. They would have to be careful not to go overboard with purchases. They resolved to always match the tax of Lord Stark's highest paying bannerman with coin and add a blend of food, metal, stone, and wood of equal value as a gentle nudge to encourage growth.

Luckily the North was largely ignored by the rest of Westeros. The changes would be too ingrained for an outsider to stamp out by the time they were noticed. Rickard Stark would also take the brunt of whatever attention they incurred. Few gave the Starks any real thought but even fewer bothered keeping tabs on any of their bannermen. Sea Dragon Point was both poor and isolated enough even by northern standards that it should be able to go even longer than most without attracting attention. The ironborn might be a minor nuisance but they should remain manageable provided they continued not to leave survivors. Eventually the coven would have to determine a solution for the pirates beyond the short term but for now they had larger concerns.


	10. Old Lion

Tywin Lannister was playing a dangerous game. His oldest friend had claimed his heir as a glorified bodyguard and his daughter had been secretly whisked away by the already married crown prince. At first he had been thrilled that Prince Rhaegar had seen the error of the marriage Aerys had negotiated for him. Elia Martell was a feeble girl unlikely to produce decent heirs. She should have been given to the Silent Sisters as Elia had no business in the birthing bed. It was a fluke she hadn't died giving him their daughter and he hadn't expected her to have a repeat of that miracle.

Yet she had. Giving him a son had left her barren but Rhaegar now had an heir that wouldn't be easily set aside. Worse was that Elia's brother had brought a hedge wizard and woods witch who claimed they would be able to heal the princess and restore her womb within half a decade. Tywin didn't personally put much stock in their claims but knew better than most the Targaryen weakness for the mystical. They were a highly superstitious people and had repetitively nearly destroyed themselves chasing their lost magics.

Cersei would never be accepted as a second queen if these charlatans were allowed to continue spreading hope for Elia. Tywin would have to deal with them as soon as possible since they already belonged to the Dornish camp. He knew just how high the stakes were. A war was on the horizon as he would need his blood on the Iron Throne in order to reclaim Jaime from said Iron Throne.

Elia Martell was too well connected to personally kill at the moment. He couldn't simply use brute force to overwhelm the Martells like he had with the Reynes and Tarbacks. King's Landing wasn't Castamere and Sunspear wasn't Tarback Hall. They had numbers comparable to his own as well as means of escape should they find themselves on the losing side of a battle. He also couldn't let himself be perceived as the aggressor less all of Westeros answers the Targaryen's call to defend the Throne. The Westerlands may be the greatest of the kingdoms but he wasn't foolish enough to believe it could compete against all the others combined.

Tywin went about planning alliances with the other kingdoms or at least their neutrality. This would be so much easier if he still had his proper heir. He couldn't even bring himself to pretend entertaining the idea of Tyrion inheriting Casterly Rock. His youngest brother Gerion was still unwed but advertising him as the next potential Lord of Casterly meant bypassing his two other brothers who were both already married but yet to produce heirs to continue the Lannister line though Kevan's wife was beginning to show. Tywin found himself in a poor position to offer marriage alliances thanks to the Targaryens.

His gold could give him a bit of breathing room but he couldn't depend on it forever. Just like anything else, gold only has value if you have the means of stopping others from simply taking it from your corpse. Tywin was still confidant he could get some of the other kingdoms support as long as he was careful and didn't show weakness. Dorne would never support him but that at least meant he had a target for his schemes. The Reach and the Stormlands had served as a buffer between Dorne and the Westerlands for thousands of years and that hadn't changed with the dragons. Buying all the food from the Reach just before open conflict meant he not only got it at a bargain but the Dornish were likely to loot the temporarily rich reach lords once the Martells marched North. Arming the Stormlands would all but guarantee war with Dorne as the two kingdoms simply did not get along. The Baratheons were also currently next in line to the Iron Throne should the Targaryens go extinct.

The dragonriders had failed to fully comprehend that they didn't have dragons anymore. House Targaryen depended on the voluntary obedience of the other houses ever since they lost their greatest weapon. Houses that are older and wiser than their own practically littered Westeros as even his current page descended from a house created thousands of years before their own. The Targaryens that knew how to play the game of thrones were few and far between. Westeros had endured seventeen Targaryen Kings yet he couldn't even name five that were truly competent and certainly none in his lifetime. Tywin was living proof that a capable dynasty can survive a single foolish liege every once in a while. The current king and his last four predecessors had been fools in one way or another by his count.

His plans came crashing down in a heartbreaking twist. His dutiful daughter had given Rhaegar a son and he showed his true colors. The crown prince had conveniently neglected to mention he was only interested in a second daughter for the son he already had. He declared Tywin's grandson a bastard and left the two of them behind to find his "true second wife." The septon that had married them had recanted the marriage. Tywin mentally kicked himself for being caught so off guard. He had known Rhaegar wasn't quite the perfect prince that he had convinced the realm he was but he didn't expect him to be so mad at such a young age. Unfortunately, Rhaegar wasn't mad enough to deliver the news in person and had sent a raven telling him to retrieve Cersei at the ruins of Tarbeck Hall. The crown prince had signed his own death sentence with the contents of that letter. Rhaegar and his entire family were now going to die no matter the cost.

Tywin may no longer be the Hand but he still had his agents in the Capital though time was not on his side. Jaime was fiercely protective of his sister and would probably murder Rhaegar himself once he learned what the prince had done. That wouldn't be an issue except he was unlikely to make any advance preparations and liable to end up captured and probably executed immediately after the fact. Being short on time meant that Tywin didn't have the luxury of being able to call his needed bannerman to him and instead rode out with a light guard to meet the man in person. Gregor was a monster but right now that was exactly what Tywin needed.


	11. The Next Blood & Cheese

Harry and Hermione didn't like numbing any sense, even smell. Unfortunately it was necessary in order to function in King's Landing. There was no way they were willing to stay long enough to develop a tolerance. The foul odor was ever present and prevented them from focusing on anything else. Even the Red Keep itself only smelled slightly less than a mass grave in an open sewer.

Additionally, the environment was ill suited for someone as frail as Elia Martell. Their efforts on healing her were twice as challenging as they otherwise would have been. They were also constantly walking on eggshells around the king whose madness seemed to provide an unconventional protection against the Imperius. Neither could openly display magic despite constantly using it. Thus they were forced to act normally when they prevented three poisonings; two on targeting them and one aimed at Elia. The closest they could do towards investigating was casually look around and see who was surprised they weren't dead. Even the time they figured out the poisoner he was simply a hired killer who was likely to be killed himself when his employer realized neither of them died. Legilimency revealed to them that their presence was the reason someone wanted Elia dead. Apparently someone didn't want the princess producing further heirs and their promise to heal her had inadvertently put a price on her death.

Feeling guilty, they swore to each other that they would protect Elia until everything blew over. They had gotten permission from the rest of the coven and begun making preparations to take the princess and her children away from King's Landing as Aerys grew worse every day. They wouldn't be safe in Dorne as that would be the first place the king would look.

They avoided the small council like the plague. Every single one of them actively encouraged the king's erratic behavior in return for being showered with favors, honors, offices, or lands. They gladly watched this maniac tear the kingdom apart because they were able to profit from it. Harry would have killed them if it weren't likely to trigger Aerys even if the deaths appeared to be natural causes. They also didn't want to be in the center of attention anymore than they already were. The pair just wanted to restore the princess and leave. Oberyn had held up his end of the bargain and helped them keep a low profile with all things considered. Everyone knew they were winners at Harrenhal but only the spymaster knew they had settled in the North. The pair would either kill or obliviate the man when they left.

The five Kingsguard still in King's Landing were a mixed bag. Jonothor Darry, Jaime Lannister, and Barristan Selmy were loyal to their oaths even with the latter two having reservations about the man those oaths bound them to. Gerold Hightower was secretly loyal to the crown prince but at this point that meant nothing to them. Lewyn Martell was the only one they could truly count on as he was solely loyal to his own family. The pair of them could count on his support as they were healing his beloved niece. The process was slow because they were limiting their use of magic in her treatment. They had access to mundane means to treat her and thus wanted to do something that a native could eventually replicate in order to not stand out. Healing her in a way that was clearly magic would only be done in an emergency.

That day finally came. Somehow a band of killers slipped into the Red Keep. Lewyn was the only one guarding them as the other four brothers were busy protecting the king himself. The pair had heard the commotion in the hallway. Harry immediately bolted towards the door seeing Lewyn struggling to hold his own against six men with another six about to encircle him. He drew the sword that he had kept disillusioned on him and quickly went about slashing the assassins in a flurry of blows. It had been years since Harry had left the Sword of Gryffindor to marinate in a vat of basilisk venom for over six months. Now a single nick and most men died before they could scream. These men did not know whom they were fucking with.

Hermione magically sedated the Martells in order to quickly get them out of the capital. Fleur had left a wheelhouse under a disillusionment charm nearby on the outskirts of the crownlands. Everything about it was magic but they had cautiously designed it to appear as normal as possible. It was exceedingly comfortable and the provisions they had were meant to lull someone into sleeping for most of the journey. The trip home could be made in a matter of hours if they really wanted but to keep it believable they would stretch it out to roughly a month and a half. It would help sell their story and undersell their capabilities if their passengers slept for most of the journey.

Meanwhile Harry went to work staging the scene. He followed the example of Barty Crouch except on a larger scale and forced Polyjuice into the cadavers of their wouldbe killers. Harry than transfigured their garb in order to match the people they would be replacing. The bodies now told the story he wanted the realm to believe. The Targaryens would now assume that the four of them were killed trying to prevent the capture of Aegon and Rhaenys along with eight of their assailants. The deception would eventually be revealed once enough time had passed that the children were safe. He bashed in "Elia's" skull in order to make the revelation plausible once discovered. The Martells would return one day but not under the current regime.

The best thing about political marriages is that very lack of attachment to the spouse. The Martells were happy to be safely away from Aerys while Elia continued her treatment. They seemingly felt some remorse about leaving Rhaella and Viserys behind but reluctantly accepted it as Rhaenys and Aegon were now secure. The Dornish princess wrote letters explaining the situation to those she felt could be trusted as they proceeded north. Harry left behind a handful of monitoring charms throughout the Red Keep in order to keep tabs on the investigation and make adjustments for any unforeseen problems that would derail their own schemes. Depending on where Varys steered the search he would likely die or end-up like Gilderoy Lockhart sometime in the upcoming days.


	12. Wolf's Court

Lyanna Stark wasn't a complete idiot. Her handmaidens had produced sketches for inventions that would ease the chores she had complained to them about on no less than five separate occasions. That doesn't even cover the twenty or so creations they had shared with her father when he granted them a bit of land. She highly doubted they were from Westeros, probably Yi Ti or even further away. Lyanna had heard stories of the many strange customs and tools in the east. It was simply too far and too dangerous to be viable. The journey could takes years and pirates were liable to simply kill merchants on the return trip. Information and goods on this far away land was few and far between but almost all of it told of wonders beyond imagining.

Their marriage was another dead giveaway they weren't local. While having multiple wives was rare in the past and rarer now, it was unheard of for two men to voluntarily share those wives. Neither had shown any jealousy towards each other and if she didn't know better she would have thought they were together as well. The seven were smart enough to realize they would otherwise stand out and tended to downplay the value of what they shared. Lyanna would respect those wishes after everything they were doing for her and the North as a whole. Thus she didn't share her suspicions with her father

They were good to her as well. The seven of them were entirely responsible for the new vastly more comfortable lifestyle Lyanna enjoyed. She still hated all those stupid chores that "proper ladies" were supposed to do but at least they were much quicker and easier these days. It was more than a little insulting that some men were doing this work now that it wasn't nearly as backbreaking or time consuming as it had previously been. Still the latest additions to her personal household always seemed to know exactly what to say. They offered assurances and encouragement as she went about her last year in Winterfell.

Six of the seven were winners of various competitions at Harrenhal and were perfectly willing to teach her what they knew. The four she most wanted to learn from were currently away on various errands but the three still with her were amazing instructors. At one point she would have counted herself lucky to be taught the use of one weapon but thanks to these three warrior women Lyanna was learning an unprecedented five. Tonks was surprisingly a gifted archer despite being a klutz in close quarters, Luna had gifted her a pair of throwing knives and axes along with proper technique, lastly Fleur had helped her with both a sword and a spear. Previously she had only been able to rely on her brother Benjen sneaking her an hour or two of sparring every week or so but they had discreetly arranged lessons every single day.

The group had also eased her mind about her betrothed. Robert Baratheon was a wild warrior who loved nothing more than wine and women. Initially that had her concerned, but they had casually pointed out that he was likely to want a woman just like him. He wasn't going to try sculpting her into a proper lady. He had spoken of putting a spear in her hand and taking her hunting and riding across the Stormlands. His tendency to whore around didn't actually harm anything beyond her feelings and even then he was likely to at least cutback once wed or else he would have to answer to her brothers. The group had rather bluntly explained that arranged marriages were the price of the nobility, there were countless starving smallfolk who wouldn't hesitate to trade places with her if they could. Her eldest brother was going to marry a stranger as oppose to the woman he wanted and another brother was forced to beg their father's permission in order to wed the woman he desired. Benjen would have the most leeway as he was the youngest but that wouldn't stop their father from marrying him off if their was something to be gained by it.

They sympathized with her and seemingly disagreed with arranged marriages on principle. Yet it was a custom ingrained throughout the Seven Kingdoms and wouldn't disappear overnight. She would have more control over any potential children's marriages than her own. Lyanna could give them some of the freedom she wished she had, they in turn could one day give their children more options with their marriages. Her only other option was with the Silent Sisters and that thought worried her more than Robert ever did.

Lyanna was also thankful they would be going with her to Storm's End and remain until she settles in. They no longer had to as her father had given them the land her brother had promised them, yet they insisted. It had been part of their original bargain and their new home wouldn't be finished for a decade or so anyways. They had pledged fealty to the Starks and seemed to take that oath of allegiance seriously. The seven of them were good for the North. They had given solid counsel to her father and she could already see a marked improvement within Winterfell. Lyanna expected those same improvements for the North as a whole and hoped to still be here by the time they became obvious.

She would see the improvements on her return visits if not. She had initially thought she would never see her homeland again once wed but her handmaidens had openly laughed at that fear. They had casually mentioned Robert was Ned's best friend and would certainly visit him at every opportunity. Unlike Robert, Ned took his responsibilities seriously and would likely remain in the North, which forced her future husband to come to him for their inevitable reunions.

Her last months before leaving for Riverrun were no longer filled with dread. Lyanna was now anxious with anticipation. She still wasn't fond of Robert Baratheon but marrying him wasn't going to change her life too much. If Brandon could live with an arranged marriage to a stranger, she could handle wedding Ned's best friend. She was a Stark and the Starks had a long history of serving the North. They had set aside an eight thousand year throne for the good of their people. If her marriage helped the North, she could accept it. That didn't mean Lyanna would be like those countless meek ladies she had encountered at Harrenhal. If Robert expected that he shouldn't have planned to marry her and would be in for an unpleasant surprise. In nature, wolves ate stags.


	13. Rise of Libertalia

It wasn't particular difficult for the coven to accommodate the royals. The only real challenge was underselling what they were doing for them. The king and crown prince had unceremoniously written them all off as deceased. The Targaryens were still trying to figure out what "poison" had been used on the spymaster as he now had the mind of a child but making him disappear or killing him outright would have resulted in unpredictable complications. It was far safer on their part to put the eunuch in a position that the Targaryens would kill him themselves.

Their castle as Sea Dragon Point was coming along well. They had perfected the under construction look while still being suitable for royals in hiding. Harry and Hermione had brought the Martells to keep them far away from Aerys and probably Rhaegar. Harry had left again to join the others in Winterfell but Hermione stayed to personally supervisor the construction and provide the Martell family with a familiar face.

Rhaenys in particular loved the large keep and their hospitality. It was refreshing to have a small child they could unapologetically spoil again. The Martells had become their friends just as much as the Starks and the coven would kill to protect either family. The little girl had been thrilled with the countless toys they had given her and the dozens of recipes they had tasked her with naming. A job she took as seriously as girl her age was capable of. Noodles becoming "strong dough" and Butterscotch now being "strong sugar" were amongst the more humorous name changes they hoped would stick once introduced to a larger sample size. They highly doubted General Tso would be accepted as Princess Rhae no matter how much the adorable child insisted it was the best food in Westeros. The coven had introduced the Dornish royals to nearly a hundred different foodstuffs and half as many drinks with a secret emphasize on what they knew would grow well in Dorne. They had simply explained they were "family recipes that we don't have a name for" when pressed for details.

Keeping Elia healthy was far easier here than in King's Landing. The cold was practically nothing when compared to the disease, filth and outright corruption that overwhelmed the capital. Fires and warming charms were simpler to maintain than monitoring wards and required far less vigilance. They had eased the royals into them the further north they travelled in hope they might be chalked up to acclimating towards the bitter cold. The North itself was ungodly cold but their castle itself was relatively warm. The coven kept things as believably comfortable as they could.

The workers would uncover a hot spring that they had created sometime in the next few years. Each moon they built just a little more than the previous moon. Every week they had a handful more workers than before. The actual population had barely changed and had in fact gone down a bit as they lost two families that had decided to take their gifted ships south to warmer waters. They concealed this through heavy use of constructs and inferi while keeping them away from the general population. They barely had fifty souls under their immediate rule yet they kept the appearance of just over four hundred and slowly growing in order to make the construction easier to handle for the locals.

The coven had finally received a response from their neighbors in regard to building roads. The Tallharts agreed provided they didn't have to pay for any of it while the Cerwyns withheld from giving a firm answer until they saw the quality of the road to Torrhen's Square for the Tallharts and the Glovers only granted permission to build roads to the houses sworn to them for now. This was done slow and steady, the workers finished roughly a mile or two a day. They didn't really work much faster than a normal crew it was just they simply never stopped as the road expanded every minute of the day. It was a simple straight line that would go through as oppose to around any natural barriers. They used magic to encourage animal life to move away long before they crossed paths so their impact on habitats was minimal. The road was designed to accommodate four standard wheelhouses or two larger ones. Finishing in a little under three years was about as fast as they were comfortable revealing. Future projects would be completed twice as fast as they planned to build both sides simultaneously to meet somewhere in the middle

They had plans to eventually expand these roads throughout the North if for no other reason than to not appear out of place amongst the other northern bannermen. The coven was doing an admirable job having the Starks take most of the credit. They would fit in better if all the lords were suddenly prospering rather than just them. Their castle was far enough north that it would be amongst the last to be noticed by southerners. Every day they flew under the radar would make the eventually reveal all the more believable to the natives. People could be surprisingly accepting and nonchalant of miracles as long as they didn't personally see them happening.

Most importantly, Elia and her family were safe. She was free from the whims of her mad goodfather for the first time in her whole marriage. They were living far more comfortably than they had been in the Red Keep. They were just patiently waiting for the Mad King to die before revealing their survival to the realm as a whole. All the necessary people already knew and were discreetly making the needed arrangements. One way or another they didn't imagine him lasting too much longer. The Martells could be patient as they weren't in any hurry to leave their current living arrangements.

The Martells were more than happy to help the coven with some of their aesthetic problems. Both the Starks and the Glovers expected five sigils and house words to represent Houses Delacour, Granger, Lovegood, Tonks, and Weasley. Elia claimed to know every sigil and most of the house words in Westeros and would point out to them if one of their ideas was already claimed. Surprisingly, Prince Lewyn proved to be an amazing painter. If not for their input the coven had half a mind to just make a new name so they would only have to do so once. It was a stroke of luck that the coven had finally agreed on a name for the keep.


	14. Oathbreaker

Destiny had shown him just how wrong he had been. Rhaegar thought that Cersei could give him a second daughter for his promised prince only to learn that the child he thought was fated to save the world wasn't. Rhaegar should have realized that all three heads of the dragons would have to be from the same woman. He shouldn't have gotten lazy and settled for the Lannister. The Stark girl was a better fit all around and Rhaegar should have known better. His wife and children were gone proving they weren't a part of the grand design. He regretted all the precautions he had taken over the years to try and protect them as he now knew they didn't matter. He could have accomplished so much more if he hadn't been concerned for their wellbeing.

Rhaenys and Aegon's bodies weren't found but Rhaegar knew they were dead. Whoever killed them had taken their corpses so that they could prop up a pretender sometime in the future. He would have to warn the Martells so they don't fall for this cheap trick. Rhaegar would have to make some concessions to them as Elia and her children were of their own. Luckily he still had a spare son outside of the prophecy. His boy with the Lannister could serve as prince consort for Arianne Martell. The Prince Who Was Promised would be Aegon the Conquerer reborn. Thus he needed an older AND a younger sister. Cersei had already failed him by birthing a son before a daughter.

His mad father was more vulnerable now that the Spider was out of the picture. For once his paranoia was justified but still inefficient. Varys did not survive the king's attempts to restore him and died in an extremely brutal fashion. Now was his chance to make up for years of misplaced caution. His mind drifted back to Harrenhal. He should have tried harder to catch the girl while she was alone but his attempts to get close to her were inadvertently thwarted by those troublesome smallfolk. They couldn't leave well enough alone and just had to get in his way. Rhaegar smiled that two of them were now dead and it wasn't even by his hand or command. Fate had rightfully punished them for hindering his efforts.

Lyanna was currently on her way to Riverrun for Brandon Stark's wedding to Catelyn Tully. She would than head down to Storm's End for her own wedding to his cousin. Robert Baratheon was a drunkard and a whoremonger. Rhaegar could charm the girl away from her betrothed and marry her himself. He would have to kill Robert as he wasn't fool enough to believe the man would overlook stealing his future bride. Probably even Lyanna's brother who he had learned originally suggested the match. It would be best if he could somehow arrange for his father to kill them for him but he would perform the deed himself if he needed. Ideally their deaths would serve as the catalyst to rebellion and Rhaegar would have half of Westeros behind him in order to avenge them. Killing Robert also opened the way for his more dutiful brother to inherit the Stormlands and killing Eddard Stark freed up Ashara Dayne in case he needed to placate some lord later on.

Arthur had been sent to return his sworn brother's bones to Dorne and Oswell had been tasked with finding his replacement. He suspected his father knew they were his men and had given them this task strictly to occupy their time. Barristan and Jonothor were his father's men. Gerold was still his hidden weapon and he was loath to unmask his true allegiance for something as simple as retrieving his true wife. That left Jaime. The boy was knighted by Arthur himself and spent more time with his mother than his father. He would suffice.

Rhaegar would have to play this carefully but he should be able to bring Jaime into his camp. He was young, malleable, and hadn't yet spent enough time in court to pick a side. There was an old rumour in the Red Keep that Aerys had an affair with the Lady Joanna Lannister and was secretly the father of her children. Rhaegar didn't know whether it was true or not as it didn't matter. He could spin the tale of Jaime becoming the next Aemon the Dragonknight. Tywin would be furious but his wrath would fall entirely on Aerys. Rhaegar would be completely innocent and might even be thanked for the revelation as it freed the Old Lion to remarry and sire true heirs to the Rock. He needed to sell Jaime's place in the Kingsguard to Tywin as a means to prevent a bastard from inheriting Casterly Rock.

Riders can travel several times faster than a wheelhouse so Rhaegar still had a week or two before he would have to leave to intercept Lyanna. He would use this available time to ease young Jaime onto his side. It wasn't that difficult as the boy idolized the man who knighted him. All Rhaegar had to do was tell stories of the friendship and various escapades that he shared with Arthur Dayne as they went about their routine. Once Rhaegar was certain of his allegiance he took Jaime to the stables and brought him in on the plan. He didn't share as much as he did with the other men on his side as Jaime didn't need to know everything but he said enough to make Jaime believe him. He even affectionately referred to him as "little brother" before offering him a handshake and assuring the boy that everything would be alright.

He felt relieved as he watched the young knight's expression change from confusion to acceptance as he explained everything to him. Jaime never showed anger or sadness and patiently waited for Rhaegar to finish speaking before simply nodding and taking the offered hand. Finally something was going right, all the sacrifices would be worth it. Rhaegar would have his promised prince born of ice and fire. The journey wouldn't be easy and he knew not everyone was going to survive but it started today. Rhaegar was brought out of his musing by a sharp pain in his chest. He glanced down to see the hilt of a blade imbedded in his heart. Rhaegar collapsed wordlessly as he tried to cry for help but no sound escaped his lips. He frantically looked around for his assailant only to notice Jaime casually removing his cloak and armor before mounting one of the horses and leaving him bleeding out on the ground. Rhaegar was confused and terrified. He couldn't understand why his guard had betrayed him. It would be nearly half an hour before a pair of stablehands stumbled upon the crown prince's body at which point he was long gone.


	15. Southron Ambitions

Travelling with the Starks to the Riverlands was far more enlightening than travelling from the Riverlands last year. There was a tangible reluctance as only Rickard seemed to be looking forward to the upcoming weddings. Neither Brandon or Lyanna seemed to hold any feelings one way or another over their respective betrothals. Brandon had every intention of using Catelyn Tully as a simple trophy while his sister was hellbent on putting her future husband in his place if he even considered doing so.

The Riverlands were a dangerous gamble to form relations with. In times of peace they did alright and produced a fair amount of crops but they were almost always the first and largest victims of any war. They weren't even their own kingdom before the Targaryens and only served as the buffer zone between neighboring kingdoms. A bit of land could violently change hands a dozen times in a single lifetime with barely any improvement under the dragons. It didn't take a genius to figure out another war was brewing.

Almost everyone felt it. There were plenty of rumours of an upcoming war. News of the crown prince's death had shattered the perceived lines in the sand. The exact details were unknown and more subject to speculation than fact. Sides were no longer clear as the king no longer had an heir people would rally behind. More than ever it wasn't safe for the Martells to come out of hiding. Three of the coven were still keeping them secure and in luxury while continuing Elia's treatment.

The coven were only mildly concerned. The upcoming battles wouldn't have magic or advanced technology. Such conflicts were only a threat to them if they were caught unaware. They understood why the Westerosi were worried but the local fears just didn't apply to them personally. Sadly they could do little to reassure natives without exposing their own capabilities. The best the coven could do was quietly prepare beforehand and keep their heads down. They might even be able to get more work done in the North if everyone else was off fighting.

Winning at Harrenhal had fortunately not brought as much recognition as they had anticipated. Only the joust seemed to truly be remembered and Neville wasn't with them. The lords seemed content to simply forget about or outright ignore a handful of smallfolk that had gotten lucky at a tourney over a year ago. The singing and axe throwing competitions were completely forgotten at this point while the melee was barely given a second thought. Thus the current party was able to move about relatively free without being bothered anymore than the general populace.

Riverrun itself proved a minor inconvenience. Brandon was challenged to a duel for Catelyn Tuly. Legilimency revealed the minor lord to be the mundane equivalent of Severus Snape. He was a childhood friend of Catelyn who grew obsessed with having her. The teen was all guile and wielded words with deadly precision. Brandon was under no obligation to acknowledge the challenge but the young man lived for fighting. His opponent was the lesser combatant by far and the coven figured he was liable to do something underhanded in order to win. Wizards however cheat better.

The coven still had a cache of Felix Felicis along with the means to eventually make more. Tonks slipped the Stark heir a small dose just prior to the duel before leaving. None of them wanted to witness the duel or be seen amongst the gathering crowd. The potion would practically guarantee his victory and certainly ensure he at least survived. The best way to not be traced back to a murder was to keep your distance. It was better for all of them to spend the time with Lyanna so they could appear off guard once told the results.

It turned out almost humorous. Brandon Stark had apparently tripped and either impaled or decapitated his opponent depending on who told the story. He didn't even realize he had won until he had gotten back on his feet. The North would probably have to give some minor concessions to the Vale but enough people witnessed the duel that the death was deemed unintentional. House Baelish didn't have any allies or long history and was now extinct. The only people who even cared were the handful that had known the man personally and most of them acknowledged Brandon was not at fault.

Brandon was surprisingly one of the most effected by the death at his hand. He had not meant to kill the kid and accidentally broke his word to spare him. The Stark heir was fierce and wild. He likely wouldn't have cared if the death was intentional but having someone die without meaning to kill them was weighing on his mind. Brandon profusely begged forgiveness to his betrothed multiple times and the dutiful Tully accepted the apology. The pair grew closer in the face of their upcoming wedding. They weren't lovers yet but they were no longer strangers.

The wedding was a joyous affair all things considered. The coven had the first opportunity since Harrenhal to size up lords from throughout Westeros. The difference was this time they weren't focused on winning anything and were content to stay in the sidelines. Most of them were from the Riverlands or North as those were the two realms being bound together but there were also a fair amount from the Stormlands as they were the next to join the merger and even one or two from the Vale. Ned had introduced his new betrothed to his family and Brandon didn't even spare her a second glance preferring to keep his eyes on his wife. The festivities lasted three days before the Starks and a select handful of others began caravaning down to Storm's End for Lyanna's wedding. One Stark marriage down, two to go. Members of the coven would be in attendance for all three and continue to serve as distant and unseen guardian angels. The coven could easily keep them safe provided the Starks never fell for the trap of growing lax and dependent on them like those on their old world had.


	16. Dragonslayer

Jaime Lannister was scared. He was a Targaryen bastard, his siblings were Targaryens bastards. Aerys might have sired them but Tywin was their father. The three of them would have died screaming if Rhaegar had been permitted to share what he knew with Tywin. Jaime had killed one brother in order to protect another. He could never let the truth of his reasons be known. Better to be an oathbreaker than kinslayer and better to be a trueborn child of Tywin than the baseborn spawn of the Mad King. This was a secret that he hoped would die with him as he wouldn't even share it with Cersei or Tyrion.

His journey home wouldn't take long. He could make good time without a wheelhouse and was unlikely to be remembered without the white cloak or Lannister colors. Bandits were of little concern as he honestly wished for the opportunity to kill someone who deserved it right now. Rhaegar had given him a taste for it. His oath meant nothing to him when compared to what the man had done and what he was planning on doing.

Rhaegar had betrayed his wife and defiled Cersei. He had than betrayed Cersei and plotted to steal another man's intended. It seemingly never occurred to the prince that Jaime would be livid at his actions towards his beautiful sister. Rhaegar didn't even see the dagger until it was already piercing his chest. He proceeded to immediately curse his own impulsiveness. Jaime had immediately fled after killing the crown prince and it wouldn't take a genius to make the connection. If he was more cunning he could have come up with some sort of tale to cover his tracks but at that moment all he wanted was to get as far away as possible. Distance was the only shield he still had. The other Kingsguard would come for him and he needed to make it back to Casterly Rock in order to even have a chance at survival.

The son of Cersei and Rhaegar stirred mixed feelings with him. Jaime raged at his thoughts about the babe that was both the child of the man he now despised the most and the woman he loved more than anything. His conflicting emotions tore at his heart but ultimately he realized that he loved Cersei more than he hated Rhaegar. For her he would watch the kid and care for his nephew as if he were his own.

He lamented that Cersei could never be his less others suspect their true origins. Rhaegar had somehow known and Jaime was genuinely terrified of who else might be aware. Aerys certainly knew and the Mad King wasn't exactly known for discretion. There were countless people who might know and Jaime couldn't kill them all. He wasn't a man of faith but Jaime found himself thanking whatever gods were out there that for once Tywin wasn't the most informed. Jaime still viewed the man as his father despite not sharing blood but he knew Tywin would not share that same loyalty if he ever learned the truth.

Luckily Rhaegar had tried including him on his plan to dispose of Robert Baratheon so he could wed Lyanna Stark. His father could work with that. Jaime may be the stupidest of the Lannisters but even he knew that Tywin could twist that narrative enough to gather the allies needed to claim the throne. Viserys was now the crown prince. He would eventually have to make major concessions to multiple kingdoms less they rally behind Rhaegar's only living son. Tywin wouldn't give-up a perceived grandson with Targaryen blood regardless of the circumstances of birth.

There was nothing he wouldn't do for his twin even if he couldn't have her. He would further break his Kingsguard vows and marry some noble woman chosen by Tywin in order to secure an alliance and father heirs to Casterly. Jaime would put her son on the Iron Throne or die trying. Everything else was secondary when compared to Cersei's happiness. His newborn nephew was an extension of his sister. His prosperity would bring her joy and that alone was enough for Jaime.

Tywin glared at him with his usual contempt when he finally made it home. The ravens had beaten him by weeks and the scene he left behind left no doubt Jaime was responsible for the prince's death. Leaving his armor and white cloak had allowed him to escape King's Landing unnoticed but combined with his dagger in Rhaegar's chest meant the whole realm knew he was the killer. Tywin didn't care about the murder itself but rather Jaime's lack of planning beforehand. Killing Rhaegar may have weakened the Targaryens but they weren't gone. The Reynes and the Tarbecks had been removed entirely and thus they hadn't needed to worry about a counterattack. Aerys was still alive and now he had a visible target for his bloodlust and paranoia.

Jaime explained what he could. Rhaegar had tried to enlist his aid in waylaying Lyanna Stark on her way to wedding Robert Baratheon but he couldn't let the prince do that after what he had done to Cersei. His father acknowledged his justification but berated his lack of forethought before sending out his own messengers. The current Starks and Arryns were fairly honorable and would rise against the crown provided they believed him. The Tullys and the Baratheons were now tied to the Starks and likely to side with them when conflict arises. Exposing Rhaegar's actions would have to be handled delicately as they would make gathering allies easy but convincing those allies to rally behind Rhaegar's son would prove far more challenging.

Tywin calmly explained that left only three great houses to worry about that might aid the Targaryens. The Greyjoys who were more likely to maintain neutrality until a victor becomes obvious. The Martells who were unlikely to rush since they were no longer connected to the throne. The Tyrells were the only real concern as they owed their continued existence to the Targaryens as there were several other houses with better claims to Highgarden. A second dance was on the horizon and the Lannisters were going to be at the forefront of it. Jaime steeled himself as this was likely to be the largest war in Westeros since before the dragons died out. In the meantime he left his father's solar to see his sister and meet his nephew.


	17. Calm

Ginny, Hermione, and Neville were painfully aware of the powder keg that was southern Westeros. They kept the Martells as informed with as much as they dared to. The coven delayed sharing everything by weeks after learning it themselves in order to conceal their magic and they wouldn't inform them on anything that might come back and harm the Starks. The coven was fond of both families and would never act against either.

Caring for Elia consisted more of downplaying her treatment than actually treating her. Restoring her to what she should have been required either magic or medicine that was centuries ahead of the times. Westeros wasn't ready for such advancements just yet so they had to resort to underselling what was being done for her. Allowing her to bear further children in particular was impossible without magical aid so they convinced her that the maester had misdiagnosed her and that having more children was simply incredibly risky as opposed to impossible.

Northern weather was too brutal for an outdoor playground so they built one indoors for the princess and her children. Kids playing in the background eased the atmosphere of their conversations and kept the situation casual. Most of the artificial workforce had been delegated to working the roads and outskirts of the keep in order to minimalize their contact with living residents. The coven had no intention of matching the population of Winterfell or White Harbor but figured it would be safer to prepare for the possibility should they or more likely their descendants work towards that goal in the future.

Hermione had even started a school for the smallfolk kids under their rule. At this point all she was teaching them was math, reading, and writing but later on she would branch out into specialialities and allow the children to pursue their own desires once they became more familiar with the concept of education. They would eventually have to hire a staff once the population grew a bit but they already had a few names in mind as a handful of the locals proved to be excellent around children.

The conflicts south wouldn't directly affect them but that didn't mean they could outright ignore it. Indirectly, it could still prove to be incredibly dangerous. The ironborn were still a threat even though the frequency of attacks had declined as they tended to attack anyone they felt they could get away with and more than a few they should have known better. It was a strong possibility they would feel safe in reaving the North while everyone's focus was on the south. Southern wars would also make make shipments of necessary foodstuffs few and far between. It would still be a few years before the North no longer depended on the south to feed them.

Their roads would prove useful once everything calmed down. They will increase the speed and frequency of trade caravans. Once completed the coven will introduce the idea of smallfolk travelling south for the winter. Winters here were ridiculously brutal and it just made sense to have a temporary exodus of the peasants rather than dying in the cold. The Starks should be able to get some benefit from marrying into the Riverlands. It would be delusion to think the entire North would empty every winter but they suspected a large majority of the population would see the obvious advantages.

Fewer eyes also meant they could get away with more. The winters here weren't a test of strength or survival for them but rather of discretion and masking their own capabilities. The Westerosi had zero expectations of them as the coven no longer carried the mantle of living legends. A part of them was genuinely curious into what they would do with their lives now that they weren't burdened with dispatching would-be magical Hitlers every decade or so when they inevitably arose.

The plans for Libertalia were along the lines of jack of all trades, master of none. Almost every noble house in Westeros had some speciality, something that made them stand out above the smallfolk. It was safer for the coven to avoid such restrictions by dabbling in a little bit of everything. Even with all their power and insight they weren't invincible or all-knowing. They were better off keeping as many options on the table as possible. They might eventually develop some specialities later on once enough time passed that they had a better grasp of the local politics and either eliminated or made concessions for any rivals.

They had laid the foundations for every profession they had encountered in this world so far and even a few they hadn't. Their home was already prepared to have actors, apothecaries, artisans, bakers, barbers, beekeepers, brewers, builders, butchers, carpenters, chandlers, cheesemongers, cobblers, cooks, coopers, courtesans, farmers, fishers, fletchers, glassblowers, healers, herbalists, hunters, innkeepers, jesters, jewelers, kennelers, masons, merchants, millers, miners, minstrels, ostlers, painters, perfumers, porters, potters, scribes, sculptors, shepherds, shipwrights, smiths, tailors, tanners, weavers, wheelwrights, and woodcutters. The list would probably expand once more smallfolk entered their domain and new opportunities presented themselves.

The basilisks still discreetly brought in another ship every couple of moons when the ironborn dared venture into their waters. The coven even had marginal success with them recovering shipwrecks from the ocean floor. Their wasn't much of value here but it was better used by gifting it to the smallfolk rather than leaving it to sit beneath the water. They imagined they would have better luck near large port cities and put it on the list of eventual projects. One of the basilisks was even heading towards Storm's End to do just that. Not that they were going to steal from the Stormlands as they had no need and the Baratheons were soon to be bound in marriage to the Starks but they imagined their was a literal treasure trove in Shipbreaker Bay that the storm lords could put towards better use once it "washed up on the shoreline." The coven would throw in a couple golems once they got there to increase the speed of recovered prizes and probably bring up something nice for the upcoming wedding.


	18. Wolves, Stags, & Stars

Storm's End reminded Lyanna of Winterfell. It didn't have the cold but the structure was similar enough which made sense considered the castles were built by the same person. The household she had brought with her had quickly taken over the day to day runnings of the castle as Robert had more important things on his mind. Her future husband had given her free reign of the castle to do as she wished and she used the opportunity to openly train for hours at a time. Lyanna would have missed most meals if not for her household gently reminding her.

Ser Harry proved to be a brutal but effective instructor. The first lesson was dodging as he explained it was the one skill you needed regardless of how you armed. Blocking was apparently something you only did if you knew that you could match the physical strength of your opponent. If you couldn't blocking was just an easy way to find yourself disarmed. He hammered in his point by striking with enough force to knock the sword out of her hand. Several of his hits felt like they broke bone but somehow she never left his lessons more than heavily bruised and extremely sore.

Lyanna quickly adapted to his teachings of not getting hit. Harry had showed her pressure points on the body to target in order to disable larger attackers or get around armored foes. He also treated Lyanna like a squire despite supposedly working for her. He had introduced her to a diet and exercise routine so that she could develop more muscles and stamina. She was under no obligation to go along with it other than his nagging if he ever sensed she was tired during their lessons. Harry had shown himself to be the most dangerous combatant in Storm's End by thoroughly trouncing everyone that challenged him. He defeated castle guards, storm lords and even her brothers. Usually without being struck or breaking a sweat even against multiple opponents at once. Nothing broke his calm demeanor as he casually dealt with his opponents while simultaneously using the matches as lessons for her as he would loudly announce his movements beforehand though roughly half the time he would bluff in order to throw them off guard.

His training revealed it's true value when it allowed her to beat both her brothers and Robert's brother Stannis. Robert and her father could still pull out narrow wins provided they didn't hold back against her, otherwise she was happy to show them why she shouldn't be underestimated. She could also out shoot them all with the longbow and outride them with her horse.

Robert Baratheon wasn't a bad match especially when she compared him to Brandon's wife. Catelyn was a Tully through and through. Despite one day being the next Lady Stark she made no effort to adapt to northern ways and instead wanted the North to adapt to hers. The Starks ruled by earning the loyalty of their bannermen not demanding it like a petulant child. Robert held his banners with strength, charm, and outright friendship. The men would walk through all seven hells for him and they would do so because he would march right beside them. Lyanna still didn't love the man but she now at least enjoyed the man's company and considered him a friend. She hadn't picked up a sewing needle the entire time here and she had no intention of breaking that streak even after her marriage. Lyanna would still prefer never to wed but she could do worse than Robert.

A last-minute change meant that her wedding would be a dual ceremony. Ned would be marrying Ashara Dayne while she married Robert. She was actually grateful as it postponed the marriage by a fortnight in order for the Dayne's to arrive in Storm's End. She didn't know the specific circumstances that caused the change but she could hazard a guess that it had something to do with the death of Rhaegar and his children along with the king's clearly erratic behavior. She knew something was odd as Ser Harry was among those that had left for King's Landing to treat Rhaegar's wife and sometime after that he was declared dead along with Aegon, Elia, Ser Lewyn, and Rhaenys yet here he was still amongst the living. He had spoken a bit with her father behind closed doors and afterwards her father had ordered all his children not to discuss his earlier trip south to King's Landing or that he was the winner at Harrenhal.

The day of the wedding turned out to be interesting. Several chests of precious gemstones had somehow washed ashore during the night as they were discovered early in the morning. Most of them looked to have been under the water for years as the wood had rotted and metal rusted but the gems were still in excellent condition. There were hundreds of emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and some type of purple gem that she didn't know the name of. It was a fortune that easily matched what the Starks had been given at Harrenhal but this was going to the Stormlands. Lyanna wasn't particularly fond of jewels and thus only kept a handful to appease her soon to be husband. She also gave a fair amount to her goodsisters but the majority would be sold or used as part of their taxes to the Iron Throne. Because there were six chests the local septon spent a ridiculous amount of time searching for a seventh to prove they were a gift from his gods when one of the northmen had offhandedly called it a "gift from the Old Gods." He never found one but did stumble across countless pieces of rusted metal, rotten clothing, and wine bottles of questionable quality that now littered the shore of Storm's End.

The wedding itself wasn't bad. The food was hot, drinks were cold, and the music loud. Harry had made himself scarce when Ashara's brother briefly stopped by. Lyanna hadn't even noticed until after Arthur had left and Harry emerged from wherever he had been hiding. She really wanted to know what had happened in King's Landing to make him so desperate to keep his head down and made a mental note to ask him at some point. The bedding ceremony was embarrassing but luckily most of the eyes were on her goodsister and Lyanna's own embarrassment was negligible in comparison as she had Brandon and her father in the room to ward off too much ogling. Bedding Robert was surprisingly pleasant as she supposed all those whores had taught him what he was suppose to do. She was now the Lady of Storm's End and wielded more authority than any of her brothers. Lyanna was strolling towards the training yard the following morning when a desperate messenger rode in wearing Lannister colors.


	19. Lion's Game

Decades ago Mad-Eye had ruthlessly trained Dora. Dora had later imparted that training onto Harry during his first stint with the aurors. Harry was now continuing the tradition of brutality with the new Lady of Storm's End. He couldn't teach her magic but the physical aspects were fair game. She wasn't his first apprentice but Lyanna was quickly becoming one of his favorites. The danger to her was negligible when compared to what his previous students had gone against over the decades.

Lyanna rather effortlessly controlled Storm's End due to the laid back and uncaring nature of her husband combined with the subtle lessons the girls had taught her. The wedding gift they had provided the Baratheons with was received relatively well with no one the wiser. Shipbreaker Bay had a fair amount of loot but they supplemented it with jewels from their private collection and also made sure to bring up plenty that didn't have much value in order to allow the occurrence to appear as a natural phenomenon.

Harry was discreetly becoming one of Rickard's most trusted vassals. He gave solid advice and happily allowed Winterfell to reap the rewards and praise while keeping to the shadows. His earlier trip to King's Landing was being kept under wraps otherwise he wouldn't dare make an appearance south of the Neck while Aerys still ruled. Princess Elia was safe because everyone presumed her dead and if his own survival was more widely known they might question her death before she was ready to reveal the ruse. Lord Stark himself was one of the few outside the coven aware of the deception and thus took the needed precautions to maintain it.

It wasn't surprising when Rickard asked Harry to accompany him to Casterly Rock to investigate the claims of the Lannister messenger. Harry knew the messenger believed the message thanks to legilimency but couldn't prove it and without access to Jaime Lannister it was pointless. In the short time they had known each other Rickard had easily caught on to Harry being able to know when someone was lying but attributed it to skill and instinct rather than magic. Harry was brutally honest and not afraid to slip someone Veritaserum if he knew they were lying to him. Veritaserum could be countered with a proper antidote or resisted with sheer willpower but both options required the victim to know the potion was in their system. Neither were likely to happen anytime soon as the coven were currently the only ones to even know it exists let alone how to oppose it.

The Stark party would travel light in order to reach the Lannisters as quickly as possible. The message guaranteed war on their part. If it was the truth they would be honorbound to demand recompense from the crown that the Mad King would never agree to though that same honor would require them to slaughter the Lannisters if it turned out to be a lie. Rickard called the banners which in turn spurred Robert to call his own with Hoster and Jon probably following his example once they received the ravens. Luna cheated again by charming the ravens to a ridiculously degree. Anyone attempting to shoot them down would see their arrows narrowly missing no matter how many shots they took and all of them would reach their destinations within two days. The coven was happy to give their liege every advantage they could while downplaying their own involvement. One way or another the North would be assembled long before any of the other kingdom's thought possible.

After debating with the members still in Libertalia they decided to inform the Martells. They would wait roughly a fortnight to keep it believable but ultimately they felt Elia deserved to know what her former husband had been plotting. Informing them would also give them a head start in figuring out what to offer the North to pacify the Starks for Rhaegar's actions. The coven easily agreed that children were not to be punished for the actions of their parents as it was unfair and an exercise in pointless cruelty to do so. They were far more divided on whether a parent should be held responsible for the actions of the children they had raised. In this particular case the coven had come to the conclusion that Aerys had enabled Rhaegar to act as he saw fit and if the accusations proved true they would hold him somewhat accountable for the actions of his equally unhinged son.

The journey to the Westerlands was uneventful to the point of paranoia. The entire trip was spent with the feeling of upcoming dread. Every moment felt like something horrible was about to happen yet the whole journey was otherwise downright boring. The whole group felt it to one degree or another as everyone was on edge. They barely slept most nights. Food was eaten cold while riding as they seldom broke camp for a minute longer than the horses absolutely needed. Harry didn't have many opportunities to use magic in hastening the trip as the whole party was constantly on alert but he did manage a few subtle charms to ease their mounts during his shifts. It would work in a pinch but they were probably safer getting new horses for the return trip as their current ones were completely exhausted by the time they reached Casterly Rock.

Harry took one look at Jaime Lannister and immediately knew that Rhaegar had attempted to enlist his aid in abducting Lyanna Stark. The crown prince hadn't even seen anything wrong with his plans and thus didn't imagine Jaime would resort to lethal measures to stop him. He listened to the boy tell his version of events that were truthful enough that Harry didn't feel like exposing the few details he deliberately withheld. Harry informed Rickard that Jaime's tale was the truth but to proceed with caution as the Lannisters were going to attempt to enlist his help in crowning Rhaegar's son with Cersei. Still, Rickard owed the young knight for protecting his daughter and would ask for leniency on his behalf. While Tywin was determined to reclaim Jaime as his heir regardless of cost, Rickard would settle for sparing his life and would even demand a Trial by Combat to keep the boy alive if need be. Negotiations between the two Wardens were long and quietly done behind closed doors with both eventually emerging looking like they got the better end of whatever deal had been struck. Rickard wasn't the most clever man the coven had ever met so they would have to enquire about the details later on to make sure Tywin hadn't taken too much advantage of his fellow Warden as Harry doubted his capacity to hold his own against such a ruthless player as Tywin Lannister. In the meantime, the Stark party would enjoy a feast held in the name of Prince Joffrey Targaryen before returning North at the break of day.


	20. Green Dragon

King Aerys Targaryen hissed pure venom to nobody in particular in the confines of his personal chamber. His entire kingdom was brimming with traitors and he worked his alchemists to the bone in order to obtain enough fire for all of them. They had stolen his heir and his spider leaving him practically blind to the schemes of his treacherous vassals. Staunton and Velaryon worked together to try and replace Varys but even combined they couldn't match the capabilities of the eunuch. Aerys considered gelding them as it seemingly did wonders for his old spymaster. The Spider had served him admirably but didn't seem to have had any contingencies to account for his possible death.

He particularly cursed Jaime Lannister. Aerys had honored the boy and gotten him away from his conniving father. Jaime had repaid that generosity by murdering his heir and skulked back to the safety of Casterly Rock. Arthur Dayne had knighted the brat himself and Aerys planned on interrogating his Kingsguard about what idiocy possessed him to do so once he returned from Dorne. Tywin had already called his banners and his intentions were obvious. Cersei Lannister had seduced Rhaegar and managed to catch a bastard from their short time together before her brother took a dagger to his heart. Aerys silently raged at his dead son for leaving behind this scandal for him to deal with. Aerys didn't understand why his firstborn had not simply waited until he eventually became King and held absolute authority rather than attempt whatever schemes he was involved with as merely the crown prince.

The issue was murky at best. If Joffrey had been trueborn he would have been in line to inherit after his elder half brother died but Aerys would not acknowledge Tywin's blood as long as he still lived. Contrary to what everyone assumed, Aerys didn't actually care too much about the Lannister birth as a cunt was a cunt in his mind. The only reason Aerys even remotely valued his sister wife was because she was the one person nobody else could have. Fucking his own sister was literally spitting on the gods of Westeros and proclaiming that he was above their rules. He would have personally been thrilled with a Lannister wife for himself. What worried him was giving his former friend free reign of his kingdom. Aerys would be far more inclined to acknowledge the babe if Tywin was dead. His second son was a much better candidate to succeed him. Viserys was already showing signs of the dragon despite his young age and Aerys knew he could trust his legacy to him.

Tywin's forces would reach King's Landing before Aerys could marshall most of his own to counter them. The Martells in Dorne were no longer bound by marriage and they were too far away to provide much help anyway. His supporters in the Riverlands and Crownlands couldn't match the Westerlands in open battle but could potential stall Tywin long enough for the Reach, Stormlands, and Vale to get involved but Aerys didn't like relying on so many others of questionable loyalty. What remained of his spynetwork had managed to piece together an alliance between the Lord Paramounts of the Riverlands and Stormlands along with both his Wardens of the East and North. Such a force could cause serious issues if they weren't dealt with quickly enough. Aerys knew that Tywin could and would worm his way into the alliance if he felt it would further his own power.

Slowly a plan formed in his mind. He had already laid the groundwork for most of it and the pyromancers should be able to wrap up the final details in the short time he had remaining. Aerys would send his wife and son away from this cesspit to the safety of Dragonstone. King's Landing would become the largest sacrifice in the history of the known world. Half a million would fuel the fire that would awaken the dragons and destroy all his wretched enemies. His precious son would sweep in when the smoke cleared and rule over those fortunate enough to survive. Westeros would never forget the wrath of a dragon as none would ever again be foolish enough to challenge the blood of Old Valyria.

He was surrounded by lackwits, cowards, and traitors. Aerys would placate his small council by having them focus on the evacuation of Viserys, Rhaella, and anything else they probably use. He couldn't trust any of the fools to understand the greatness of his grand design as they were more likely to ruin it in their ignorance. There were precious few that he could truly trust to carry out his will as both loyalty and intelligence were in short supply. Finding someone who had one was challenging enough but managing to secure someone that possessed both was the stuff of miracle workers. He still had a name or two that had managed to prove their value one way or another over the years.

Aerys summoned Viserys into his chambers to explain all the details he was old enough to understand. The gleam in his son's eyes was all Aerys needed to see as he meticulously went over some of the finer points. King's Landing wasn't safe and Viserys would be leaving with his mother. Aerys would stay behind to destroy the monsters that conspired against their family. He wouldn't be coming back for a while but he would eventually return as the next King of Westeros and Viserys would bring Fire and Blood with him. Without a sister or close relation to keep the bloodline pure, Viserys would be free to have any woman he desired as it hardly mattered anymore. Aerys would have kept Rhaella around but he didn't trust his sister enough not to wreck all that he was working so hard to accomplish. She had become unpredictable since the loss of their half-Dornish grandchildren and he just wasn't willing to chance it.

Every instinct he had told him to jump for joy the day they departed. Aerys was practically beaming with pride at the determined and stoic face his son wore. Viserys understood the seriousness of their situation despite his youth and he felt secure in trusting his legacy to the boy. The ship wasn't particularly fast as it was built for comfort not speed and thus gave Aerys plenty of time to silently watch as his son sailed away towards safety with Rhaella and a handful of servants. Aerys let out a slight sigh once his son had reached the distance that it became difficult to see him at and casually strolled back towards the Red Keep to finish the preparations for a pyre the Old Gods and New themselves would envy.


	21. No Place Like Home

Hermione and Ginny had to break the news to the Martells that not only was Rhaegar dead but he had sired a son that the Lannisters were attempting to put on the Iron Throne. Neville had opted to distract the children with his gardens while the girls shared what they knew with Elia and Lewyn. Neither of the Martells were surprised by the revelation though both were clearly disappointed that Prince Rhaegar was causing problems even as a corpse. Lewyn had even discreetly toasted his death once he had been made aware of the circumstances that led to Jaime stabbing him.

The coven had known them for roughly a year now and nearly as long as the Starks. Elia was by far the sweetest adult they had come across on this world and she deserved better than the life she had been given. Her children were every bit as innocent and adorable as their mother. It was cruel that so much rested on them because of the whims of their father and grandfather. Inbreeding had driven the Targaryen family mad and only the infusion of (relatively) new blood had spared the children from the worst of it. Hopefully they could do something about that for future generations as they had every intention of discouraging the tradition. The seven of them wouldn't be around forever but they would likely still be here for long enough to influence the next couple of kings and queens.

They figured the Martell's stay in Libertalia was winding down as they would probably need to head back down south soon to support young Aegon's claim. One way or another Aerys wasn't going to be around much longer. The coven could easily smuggle the Martells back to Dorne, the only challenging part would be downplaying their actions. Almost every lord from here to there were gathering their levies and preparing for war. They couldn't reasonably expect to go about unnoticed the entire journey without magical aid.

Taking a ship was unlikely despite being along the coast. Going down the Sunset Sea would mean having to slip past the Iron Islands, Westerlands, and Reach; none of which could be trusted. The coven briefly considered heading for White Harbor to take the Narrow Sea but that unfortunately meant dealing with sistermen and later on the crownlanders still loyal to Aerys. It was safer to travel by land while the North still had good relations with the Riverlands and Stormlands. They weren't terribly worried about the Stormlands as Robert Baratheon was a decent enough man and completely devoted to his Stark wife and bestfriend but the Riverlands were somewhat less of a sure thing. The Tullys were loyal only to themselves and incredibly shortsighted. The coven didn't entirely blame them as they ruled over the land that was the battleground of most wars for the past couple centuries. An ally in one conflict could be an enemy in the next. An investment now could be reduced to a burning cinder tomorrow. They didn't have the luxury of looking too far into the future.

In certain ways they were worse off than the North. The Riverlands had just enough resources to be worth reaving but not enough to stockpile and few natural barriers to establish proper defences. The North at least had chokepoints to funnel most would-be invaders. The Tullys had to pick the winning side every time and couldn't be swayed by something as simple as past favors or alliances as they were likely to lose their lives and lordships should they ever find themselves on the losing faction. The Stark marriage bought the temporary allegiance of House Tully but none of the coven would count on it especially given they wouldn't be flying Stark or even northern banners when delivering the Martells.

It wasn't difficult to determine the best route as their only real goal was avoid as many settlements as possible with speed being a distant second concern. They would take three separate caravans for added protection. Hermione would take the first caravan along with a few dozen constructs and deal with any threats along the journey as well as constantly scan for dangers. Ginny would take the second caravan with the Martells and a small guard force and make sure to downplay their efforts. Finally, Neville would be with the last caravan covering their backs and prevent anyone from following them. In a pinch any one of the caravans could spring to the aid of the other two but that would only be done in an emergency though only the one carrying the Martells actually mattered.

Bandits proved to be a real pain along the trek. Neither the coven nor the Martells were in any real danger but they must have come across dozens of small camps and dealt with nearly two hundred robbers over the course of the entire journey. Neville had to make several sidetracks to drop off prisoners that would probably go to the Night's Watch. A bit of legilimency meant they gelded any that harbored a tendency towards rape and simply killed those who had the resources to bribe their way out the dungeons. As a knight Neville had the right to Trial by Combat and no lord was willing to risk it against someone whose only "crime" was capturing bandits especially on the trips when he was recognized as the winner of the joust at Harrenhal. They eventually made it to Dorne with the Martells none the wiser of the difficulties involved in getting them home.

Fleur had drawn the short straw at Storm's End and used a portkey back to Libertalia to oversee their growing home while they were gone. Their construction crews could probably handle anything that came up without them but the coven didn't feel like chancing it if something completely unexpected happened. The roads to the closer settlements were now practically complete and the coven had already started shipping crates of charcoal, fish, metal, stone, and timber to them. They also secretly slipped some gold and silver with a mild compulsion to be spent into the communities that couldn't otherwise afford what the coven was selling as they didn't truly need the coin and this was about strengthening their neighbors rather than hoarding everything for themselves. At this point their school was little more than a daycare but they offered it for free and it would expand once they managed to hire proper tutors. Not only would this provide education and training for those under their care but it gave the parents a much needed respite from the need to constantly supervise their children. The quality of life drastically improved for the locals and the coven had only just started.


	22. Roar of Fire and Blood

Tywin Lannister was pleased considering the circumstances. Rickard Stark wholeheartedly believed his version of events involving Rhaegar's attempt to kidnap his daughter and had now called his banners to demand retribution from the Targaryens. It had taken little convincing and a few concessions for him to acknowledge Joffrey as a trueborn Targaryen rather than a bastard as Rhaegar had claimed despite marrying Cersei.

Most of Rickard's demands were symbolic and meant to incorporate some First Men values into the Westerlands. The only one that was even a mild inconvenience was that Tywin would have to dismiss his headsmen and personally handle all the executions at Casterly Rock. He was actually looking forward to his men bringing him the septon that had recanted his daughter's marriage to the crown prince and was even considering involving the weirwood from the Stone Garden and hanging the man's entrails on the branches.

His only concern was that he had still not heard from the men he had dispatched to deal with the Martells but his spy Pycelle had informed him that most of them were slaughtered and the Targaryen children were taken. That was not something he had ordered as Ser Gregor was suppose to kill them all. The good news was that at least the dead didn't have anything on them tying to the Westerlands and Pycelle was doing his job of keeping that idea out of the king's head. Tywin still didn't know how the old maester maintained the trust of his former friend but Pycelle's allegiance was the best investment he had made in his entire life.

Annoyingly, the northern lords always took a while to gather their forces and wouldn't be able to provide much aid during the initial skirmishes but their alliance with the Riverlands and close relations with the Stormlands and Vale meant he wouldn't have to wait too long for reinforcements. The Tyrells were now his only real concern as they were fanatically loyal to the throne and close enough to be an immediate threat but he had recently purchased most of their food and they were about to learn you couldn't eat gold. Armies ate more than peasants and he was reasonable certain they would at least have some difficulty feeding their forces. The Martells would probably raid them if they even bothered to show while the Stormlands were already well-provisioned thanks to Tywin's earlier efforts. If nothing else they would stall the Reach long enough for him to claim the Iron Throne in Joffrey's name.

He was only a rebel until he won. Having control of the throne turned his opponents into the rebels. Tywin was already plotting marriages for the future king much to his daughter's dismay. She wanted a bride from the Westerlands as she felt home would be the only place that wouldn't betray her son. While Tywin would love to have future kings further married into his realm he knew it wasn't practical. Joffrey's bride would have to bring something more to the marriage. At first, Tywin had thought that Rickard would demand a marriage for his future grandchildren in return for his support but it either didn't occur to him or he just wasn't interested. He would placate the Tullys with a marriage to Jaime once he managed to get him released from the Kingsguard. Tywin wouldn't even consider stooping to the Iron Islands. That left the Vale, Reach, Stormlands, and Dorne as practical options. He would see what prominent families were still standing when the fighting stopped and act accordingly though as of now he was slightly leaning towards Dorne only because he knew they already had an eligible bride and he didn't want her to go to Viserys should the worst happen. Pycelle had already informed him that Aerys had moved his wife and son to Dragonstone for the foreseeable future along with one of the Kingsguard.

Tywin wanted Aerys to prepare for a long siege rather than the slaughter it was going to be. He had been making arrangements since just before sending Clegane to kill the Targaryens and now had enough of the city guard at his disposal that they would simply open the gates and he would unleash seven hells upon the man who fancied himself a dragon. He sent the letter demanding Aerys acknowledge Joffrey as his heir due to being the eldest living trueborn son of Rhaegar knowing full well his friend would reject it but he still needed to be perceived as the aggrieved party to better his odds of deposing Aerys quickly. This needed to be a righteous vengeance rather than an open bid for power otherwise he was unlikely to hold the Throne once some of his more honorable allies arrived. He had finally received word that the Arryns, Baratheons, and Tullys acknowledged his grandson as a trueborn Targaryen despite the King's refusal. He was slightly surprised to learn that the Martells were still calling their own troops despite no longer being tied to the throne but put it down as an attempt to renew those relations with the King's second son. The Dornish were fierce combatants but Tywin had no intention of facing them on their homeland where they had proven unbeatable. With luck he could arrive at King's Landing before them and claim the throne as regent for Joffrey long before they arrived.

His host marched as fast as he was comfortable with. Tywin wanted to get there quickly but he needed to get there with a force still capable of fighting. He had even cut back on his own luxuries as they would do nothing but slow him down. Tywin slept in a tent no bigger than the one his men used, he ate no more than they did. It was a tip from his fellow warden and Tywin found that his men noticed the gesture as they knew the seriousness of their situation as well as the urgency to make it to King's Landing. The Westerland forces broke and made camp in record time yet their own performance didn't suffer as they arrived ready for battle. Tywin was monitoring the slaughter from the outside of the city as he knew that he would be a high priority. He watched as the gates were opened allowing his men to swarm King's Landing and listened nearly an hour as he could tell his men were gaining ground. They weren't going as fast as he wanted and Tywin was about to reorganize his offensive when a noxious green inferno violently tore apart King's Landing killing seemingly everything. The Red Keep was the only structure Tywin could recognize that even remotely survived and even it was a charged husk. Most of his forces were dead or wounded but he had to stay if for no other reason than to confirm the death of Aerys and see what could be salvaged from this situation. His remaining men hastily set-up tents for the wounded as they could do nothing but wait for the fire to die.


	23. Looking Forward

Harry cursed himself for letting the monitoring charms expire. Aerys Targaryen was an absolute lunatic and keeping tabs on him nearly made him vomit so naturally he had stopped shortly after the death of Varys. The Mad King destroyed himself and his kingdom in order to prevent being taken alive. A city with half a million subjects burned alongside a large portion of Tywin Lannister's army to satisfy one man's bloodlust. Most died instantly but from what they gathered roughly a thousand survived the initial explosion for one reason or another though all but a couple dozen later perished due to their injuries.

The King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm was no more. Rickard Stark had played Tywin by acknowledging Joffrey as a trueborn Targaryen as he was still in the line of succession behind his elder half-brother. Originally he had planned on declaring for Aegon as the boy would have been secretly raised in the North waiting for Aerys to die yet now he along with most of the other wardens and lords paramount felt they were no longer a united Westeros.

They had pledged fealty to the Iron Throne which no longer existed. Harry had personally stolen the molten slab and transfigured it into a bunch of chamber pots. He discreetly gifted half to the Citadel and the other half to the Night's Watch though neither knew the origins or benefactor for their mysterious gift as he had dropped them off without even being seen let alone explain his actions. It wouldn't bring back those murdered and it wouldn't even send a message as the coven intended to take this secret to the grave but it would make them laugh whenever they thought of the insult they inflicted on a spiteful little man who killed more in a day than Voldemort did in a lifetime.

Harrenhal was once again held the location of a Great Council. Over the course of just over a year almost every lord in Westeros worth a damn sent some form of representation. Negotiations were fierce as there were three strong Targaryen candidates. Aegon had been declared dead but so had Elia and Lewyn yet both freely admitted to escaping King's Landing to avoid the attempts on Elia's life. Viserys was probably the most notable absence as he didn't even seem to acknowledge there were others with a better claim or that Aerys had been in the wrong. Tywin had difficulty finding support for infant Joffrey especially when his elder brother was revealed to still be alive and reluctantly agreed with the majority to simply end the dragon's stranglehold of Westeros. House Targaryen were now only Kings of the Crownlands and by far the smallest of the nine monarchs. What remained of the Kingsguard was disbanded but many would find themselves voluntarily rejoining the service to one of the remaining Targaryens as the decision to end the order was one of the more controversial edicts of the council.

Surprisingly, the Martells offered to return North to continue Elia's treatment now that the Iron Throne wasn't viable but the coven declined and instead would send one of their own to monitor her progress. At this point magic had healed most of the weakness and it was just a matter of bringing her to where she should have been in the first place. Practically any competent healer would be able to eventually restore her even if they might do so a bit slower than the coven could should the worst happen. Openly bringing Elia and her children home with them would draw more attention to the coven than they were comfortable at the moment and it was just far safer to finishing her treatment in Dorne.

Harry threw himself into working on their home to distract himself from King's Landing. The others took turns covering Lyanna's training until he was ready to resume her instruction. Libertalia was coming along well. The population was slowly growing and the constructs were being pushed further onto the outskirts to limit their contact with their living counterparts. They would eventually be phased out as they became less and less needed. The basilisks were forced to deal with the ironborn much further away as it was now too risky for the encounters to happen as close to their home as they had done earlier. At this point they were dispatching and processing ironborn at a hidden location over two hundred kilometers away from Libertalia and even dealt with a slaver ship from Essos at one point.

Every nearby settlement was receiving vast quantities of food and building surplus from them. Soon they would be expanding their influence throughout the North and spreading their resources to every major keep so Libertalia wouldn't appear quite so much out of place. They might be stretching it with magic in establishing this way of life but they were confidant once finished it could be maintained strictly through mundane means. Controlling the school allowed them to set the pace and gauge what their subjects were capable of. Needless to say, the coven and Hermione in particular pushed them hard even convincing the rest of the coven to create a copy of the entire library at the Citadel to further their education. They were constantly on the lookout for signs of accidental magic in their subjects but so far had hadn't turned up anything.

They had finally gotten around to "discovering" the underground hot springs that the coven had created. It had taken a lot of work but the hot springs were now entirely self-sufficient and no longer required any maintenance to continue working. This was a huge benefit to them as they could now spread the warmth throughout Libertalia and instantly relieved the single largest burden in survival towards the majority of those under their rule.

Seafood and root vegetables still accounted for most of the local diet even if the proportions nearly tripled for them as they had yet to really expand trade outside the North. The food they had purchased at Harrenhal was gifted directly to Winterfell and thus left to the Starks to distribute and not all of it had arrived just yet. It was just another chore the coven would have to work on eventually. It was something that was put on high priority when Fleur started craving fruit and red meat before revealing her pregnancy.


	24. The Wolf Queen

Lyanna couldn't believe it. Her instructor had been engaged in high treason against the crown and had involved her father. She knew Aerys wasn't exactly a good king and had more than earned his moniker of "The Mad King" but still to move against him in his very throne room seemed suicidal. She was pleased to learn he hadn't done it out of some sort of personal greed but rather for the sake of protecting an abused princess and her children.

Harry had fled back North in the aftermath of King's Landing. He explained that he felt guilt over it for not killing Aerys when he had the opportunity and needed time alone to come to grips with it. The others took over her training but none of them were quite as intense as he had been although Dora was a close second. Lyanna added an extra hour or so every day to her regimen in an attempt to compensate.

The recent Great Council of Harrenhal had declared her Queen of the Stormlands in addition to being a princess of the North. She could do practically anything she wanted now and held few commitments or responsibilities. Her husband was a wild drunkard who usually passed out almost immediately upon entering their bedchambers half the time not even making it to the mattress. These days they barely fucked once every month or two even if they did now share a bed. Robert had cut back on his own whoring as she flat out informed him that if he ever caught a pox she would never lay with him again. He was a surprisingly malleable man that now catered to her every whim and it was an open secret that her household truly ran everything in Storm's End.

Much happened in the following years as her household slowly renovated the Stormlands. Just because she was no longer stuck with those mindless chores didn't mean she lacked sympathy for those who weren't as fortunate. The servant's lifestyle improved dramatically and even the nearby smallfolk saw somewhat better lives. Ser Neville was often visiting and despite his high status and wealth was frequently found working the fields and instructing the farmers personally. Harry eventually returned to help with her training every once in a while. There were apparently a few children now between the North's newest bannermen but what surprised her the most was they were following the Dornish custom of an older daughter to inherit over a younger son as Aliandra Delacour was set to inherit Libertalia over her half-brothers. Lyanna had briefly met the young heiress and found the child to be fierce yet absolutely adorable. She was highly looking forward to meeting Aliandra's newborn siblings once they were old enough to leave their home. It was a bit confusing but from what she could gather each child took their mother's name with each family lording over one of the five towers with the eldest family head holding authority over the other four.

True to her handmaiden's predictions, Robert frequently visited North with her and left his brother behind as castellan. Sadly they rarely traveled all the way to Winterfell as Ned had now established himself in Moat Cailin with his wife. That meant Lyanna had plenty of opportunities to spend time with Ned's boys Jon and Robb but not nearly as much with Brandon's girls Sansa and Arya. Her father had initially wanted to tie the two claims together as Brandon had yet to have a son but whatever Harry had said convinced him not to and support Sansa eventually taking a lord consort to continue the Stark line if Brandon does not have a son.

That was good for Lyanna as after a few years she had finally given Robert a child. The pregnancy was somewhat difficult and she was warned against having another child anytime soon but her husband absolutely adored their daughter Myrcella. The name came from Robert himself and for the life of her she couldn't figure out where he picked it up from as it seemed most men just named their children after friends or family but Lyanna was unable to find a record of another Myrcella anywhere. That suited Lyanna just fine. While she would be thrilled if her daughter grew up to share her passion for riding, hunting, and fighting she had no intention to try and force them on her. Her daughter would be her own person and have the childhood Lyanna herself had wanted. Despite some bickering from his bannermen Robert was already making preparations for Myrcella to inherit Storm's End. Some idiot noble had pointed out that the Baratheons had in the past supported the greens and thus shouldn't even consider a woman's right to rule but when he also mentioned the fate of Robert's ancestor Argella Durrandon her husband beat the man nearly to death before having him thrown in a cage and sent to the Night's Watch. He would have simply killed him but felt it crueler to give the fool a slow freezing death.

Her goodbrothers were an interesting pair. Stannis didn't seem to particular like her but than again he didn't particularly seem to like anybody yet he acknowledged her authority as his elder brother's bride. He was stern, serious, and utterly dedicated to his own sense of justice. Renly was his complete opposite as the boy viewed everything as his playground and life as merely a game much like she herself had at a younger age. He had inadvertently shown Lyanna just how irritating she had been at one point and was grateful to her family for putting up with her. Lyanna needed to find spare land for both of them lest they eventually press a claim for Storm's End itself. Summerhall was unclaimed and would do nicely but she wasn't sure whether to give it to Stannis or Renly. As the elder of the two Stannis was entitled to the superior lordship but she wasn't sure if the second bit of land acquired would be better or worse than Summerhall and thus was reluctant to commit it to one of the brothers. 

Robert wasn't usually one for planning so his surprisingly practical solution caught her slightly off guard though she suspected her household had suggested it. He named Stannis as just a castellan to oversee the construction which bought them a decade or so to figure out what to do with the castle or for a solution to present itself. Her husband used the precious gems that turned up on their wedding to help finance the construction and was positively giddy with the excuse to visit her brother and purchase "good northern lumber." While the North had little use for the jewels they were quite valuable to everyone else and Ned was able to use them for trade with merchants from as far as Essos. Every single trip back home revealed some remarkable improvement to the North.


	25. Northern Progress

It had been seven years since King's Landing burned to the ground and nearly ten since the coven had first arrived in Westeros. They had children again. The plan was currently to let them go about their whole lives without knowing the true origins of their parents. It didn't do any good to dwell on the past or what was left behind. The coven would share their true origins if their children suddenly needed to know but at this moment there was no scenario they could imagine in which it would help them. Their old world was gone for them as the journey had always been one way.

Despite all the problems of this world it was still better than the one they had left especially when you factored in all the improvements the coven could make here. They had yet to find a real obstacle in any of their plans and at most found minor inconveniences. The only danger was if they were to ever grow negligent as Harry learned when half a million souls ended when the Targaryen dynasty came crashing down. What remained of the ex-dragonriders was nothing more than a petulant child who ruled the smallest of kingdoms yet still felt entitled to rule the entire continent. Aegon and Rhaenys were safely in Dorne and tension was high between the former Wardens and now Kings when Tywin learned that Rickard had played a simple trick on him.

The coven still saw the children every time they returned to Dorne to visit Elia. At this point she was a perfectly healthy individual who could expect to live another sixty-seventy years and no longer had a trace of the frailty she had been born with. They visited her as friends rather than healers and were happy that neither of the children held any of the attraction to each other that their family was so infamous for. Rhaenys served as a lady-in-waiting for her cousin Princess Arianne Martell and Aegon actually wanted to be a maester but was persuaded not to as doing so would make it easier for his half-brother Joffrey to make another claim for the throne of Westeros.

Advancements were now coming along at a much slower rate as the coven found it was safer and easier to provide the natives with the basic understanding and tools needed for them to "discover" new developments. One local had even "invented" canned food although he referred to it as "casked" and soon every keep and village would have a large stockpile. Their new roads cut travel time down to just over half of what it had been prior and they were frequently currying favor with fellow northern lords. Harry and Luna had even gone beyond the Wall a couple times for various errands. Mors Umber's daughter had been kidnapped by wildlings over ten years ago and he had all but written her off. The coven cheated and located her within a fortnight after stealing a bit of her father's blood. She was a classic victim of Stockholm syndrome and could have been mistaken for a wildling after spending so much time with them. It would take effort to bring her back to normal but the coven returned her along with her young daughter Ygritte back to Last Hearth. The reunion was surprisingly sweet though Ginny did stick around for over a week to make sure nobody gave either of the two a hard time.

There was something off about beyond the Wall and the coven would eventually have to look into it. Being magical beings themselves meant they didn't dismiss the possibility of the "Others" they had heard so much about but whether the feeling was from them currently doing something or just residue left over from when they nearly conquered the world. The wall itself held magical runes designed to ward off something but they were thousands of years old and only just starting to lose their strength. Hermione made copies and would run a few experiments to see if she could figure anything more out of them.

At this point they were shipping tons of metal, stone, and wood out every week at ridiculously low costs as most of the time they were trying to get rid of it to make way for more farmland. The northern soil was harsh which made crops even harder to grow than just the cold but Neville was the expert in everything involving plants. There was nearly ten square kilometers dedicated just to composting the needed fertilizer to support their crops. The coven kept it away from any large settlements with only a skeleton crew of constructs working the raw materials as it simply reeked and they didn't need to subject any living thing to it for now.

Moat Cailin had been restored and improved upon what it had been at its height. It was easier to start from scratch than try to fix most of the towers and that had caused a bit of an argument with the current lord. Ned Stark didn't waste coin on anything perceived as unneeded and thus most of the improvements the coven did for free just to cut the legs off his point. They explained it to him as an investment. He was now on the border of a neighboring kingdom and for the first time in hundreds of year The North would need a solid defense. The Riverlands were unlikely to attack anytime soon as each kingdom was still adjusting to independence from the Iron Throne and the next Lady of Winterfell was a Tully but there was still the possibility as the Tullys had now married into the Lannisters as well with Catelyn's sister and the former Kingsguard Jaime. Even the Vale might eventually prove a threat as the nearby sistermen who were little better than the ironborn were technically their bannermen.

That caution had finally paid off. Quellon Greyjoy had died and the details were contradicting. He was an old man so it could easily be natural causes but the way his sons had gone about striking immediately and declaring the return of the Old Way lent credence to the rumors they had disposed of him themselves. Euron Greyjoy had snuck a band of reavers into Riverrun and murdered both Hoster and Edmure Tully. The ironborn had garrisoned themselves into the castle and declared the Riverlands as part of their kingdom through right of conquest while other bands simultaneously attacked other Riverland castles. Brynden Tully was leading the counterattackers and had called for aid from both the North and the Westerlands. Both were likely to make a claim for the land through their Tully wives but the coven doubted Brynden cared at this point. He was one of the few men of his station who never married and instead took to raising his nieces and the nephew he had just lost. Seven years since Westeros split into nine kingdoms, and for all intents and purposes the first of them had just ended.


	26. Waking Dragons

They called him King of the Crownlands but Viserys Targaryen knew he was destined to be King of Westeros. His father had sacrificed King's Landing to rid the Targaryen dynasty of their enemies and had entrusted him to sweep in and claim the ashes. He cursed his brother's foolishness that led to his current exile on Dragonstone. He had two nephews that made claim for the thrown despite being named heir by his father. Because of them the dragon was divided and that was something he couldn't afford without actual dragons to support him.

Joffrey was just a bastard but he had the support of the Westerlands and a handful of other houses that feared Tywin Lannister. It was Aegon that was the greatest threat to his claim. Aegon held the majority of his father's treacherous Kingsguard as only Ser Gerold and Ser Jonothor had honoured their king's command and stayed with Viserys. Normally his brother's son would come before him but Elia Martell had spirited him away to "safety" just prior to the realm falling apart and thus the crown had declared him dead. Aegon lost any right to Westeros the moment his mother hid him away yet there were still fools who insisted Aegon was the rightful king. Viserys swore he would never kneel to either of his nephews.

Even his own mother had scurried off to Dorne years ago to be with Aegon and Rhaenys. She had begged him to accompany her and forget the Iron Throne as it had brought misfortune to their family but Viserys knew it had only harmed a handful of the weak kings amongst his ancestors and thus he had nothing to fear. The throne itself had been destroyed with King's Landing and thus Viserys was burdened with the task of forging a new own with the swords of those who he would conquer once again.

Westeros had split with nine monarchs but Viserys knew that couldn't last. The Targaryens had brought peace and prosperity by uniting the continent under their rule. The petty kings from before the conquest could never compete with his family. His father had been betrayed by weaklings in his council who failed him and let the realm spin out of control. This disunification was merely a temporary setback. The kingdoms secretly craved for a single ruler and were already reforming the bonds they had so eagerly tossed aside. Soon they would learn that only the dragon was strong enough to truly hold all of Westeros.

The Reach, Stormlands, and Dorne were incredibly close as his spies reported highly lucrative trade agreements and marriage alliances between them. The North and the Vale were firmly in each other's camp. The Iron Islands did just what they were suppose to as the Greyjoys murdered another "king" along with his son and soon the Riverland kingdom would be no more as the others fought over it like a pack of dogs. Viserys himself would use the opportunity to expand the Crownlands and lay claim to a portion of it.

Viserys couldn't murder all the other kings but he certainly had the resource to take down a few. He was forced to bide his time and wait for the inevitable deaths. Once the others had torn each other down he was prepared to swoop in and conquer whoever manages to scrape their way to the top. The Tullys were the first and most certainly wouldn't be the last. Most of the other kingdoms had eligible daughters for him to claim and he could easily see himself picking two or three amongst them. He was the last true dragon, multiple brides would be invaluable in quickly bringing up the number of Targaryens in the world. Sansa Stark, Arianne Martell, and Myrcella Baratheon came to mind as the three of them were currently in line to eventually inherit their respective domains. He dreamed of taking them all after killing their traitorous fathers and gifting their mothers to loyal bannermen.

Ser Gerold had yet to return from Essos on his mission to gather allies and Viserys suspected the man to be dead but would defer to Jonothor as to when it would be acceptable to replace him. He was in no hurry to replace Gerold on the off-chance he was still alive but more importantly his subjects would be extra attentive to his wishes as long as the position was available. Perhaps the best thing about being the last dragon was that what remained of his guard could be focused entirely on himself and thus he wasn't under as much pressure to keep his garrison fully staffed.

Thus Viserys could devote more effort and resources into the eventual restoration of his family. He had already managed to reacquire the instructions for wildfyre production and kept several laboratories on the outskirts of his current holdings. None of the other so-called kings dared attack him while he could effortless burn them alive long before they got close to his border. They were already prepared to expand once he secured the allegiance of the few Riverland houses near his domain.

He had reached out to certain mercenary companies and had nominal success. The Golden Company wanted the entirety of the Westerlands in return for their support. It was a steep price and Viserys didn't entirely trust them not to use it later on in an attempt to usurp him but he currently lacked the coin to simply outright hire them. Only the Company of the Rose outright refused him but they had already returned to their frozen homeland and seemed to be reincorporating into the North. The Starks had always been the Targaryen's most loyal wardens but also their most stupid and least useful. They ruled over a frozen wasteland that would usually take years to gather their forces. Tywin Lannister had easily tricked Rickard Stark into acknowledging his nephew as a trueborn Targaryen rather than the bastard that even Rhaegar claimed him as.

Today he would meet with someone who might be able to provide him aid in recovering his legacy. Viserys didn't care much of religion as he considered himself above such things but if even half of his reports on her were accurate he would indulge her. She was gorgeous and Viserys found his heart beating erratically in her mere presence. The woman wore crimson robes that flaunted her flawless skin and walked with an air of authority that made his blood run hot. Something about her made Viserys completely trust her as he couldn't quite place it, nor could he bring himself to care. She didn't kneel but offered a respectful bow before introducing herself as Melisandre of Asshai.


	27. Kings Die Like Flies

The Tullys couldn't even survive a decade as kings. The War of the Rivers as it would come to be called barely lasted a year and saw their realm torn apart as the neighboring kings made claim for their lands. Balon Greyjoy originally claimed all of it but that illusion quickly shattered as the riverlanders themselves rose against him. The North and The Westerlands banded together just long enough to force the ironborn back to their islands before turning on each other to carve up the spoils of the war.

Catelyn Stark nee Tully should have inherited over her younger sister Lysa but at this point she had yet to birth a son while her sister had. Tommen Lannister was thus used by his grandfather in order to merge most of the Riverlands into his domain. The Starks only managed to claim the most northern of Riverland houses. Blackwood, Frey, and Mallister. The coven had come to believe that the sole purpose of the Freys were to be so repulsive that the North wouldn't want to expand but Rickard Stark liked the Blackwoods and Mallisters more than he hated the Freys.

Harry crippled the Iron Islands by stealthily kidnapping every single lord on the eve before the North invaded. They were confused and terrified as they suddenly woke to find themselves bound in the Libertalia dungeon. Most of them were given to an ex-maester the coven had encountered in the Riverlands. The coven didn't entirely approve of his disregard for his subjects as he would experiment on anybody that he could but his discoveries were incredible provided the coven supplied him with victims that truly deserved it. A religion that glorified rape and murder was one the coven were happy to persecute and Qyburn wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth as he released discovery after discovery.

Balon Greyjoy along with his brothers were all killed plus his two eldest children. Most of the noble children including Balon's surviving son were shipped off to The Reach, Stormlands, or Vale to ward as the Starks didn't want anything to do with them except prevent the Westerlands from raising them. Asha Greyjoy was the soul exception as she was the most eligible bachelorette from those islands so Rickard Stark had her brought to Winterfell to serve as a lady-in-waiting for Sansa and potentially arrange a match for her later on.

Tywin's forces laid claim to four of the seven islands but the coven made sure to steal everything of real value including a few Valyrian blades before he arrived. Say what you will about the Iron Islands they did at least have iron even if most of it was incredibly low quality and difficult to mine. The coven used liberal amounts of compulsions to prevent people from realizing just how much they took or how fast they took it as they had literal shipped off hundreds of tons of metal, stone, and wood within a matter of days. Someone would probably realize how much they took eventually but even they would be led to believe that it took longer than it actually did. Negotiations between the Starks and Lannisters were long and drawn out as there were now dozens of noble houses to replace. Most of the newly made lords were second, third, or even fourth sons who married into the other kingdom. A northern son would wed a girl from The Westerlands while a westerman would take a northern bride.

The goal was to convert the Iron Islands into a trade hub between the two kingdoms as the North was becoming less of the barren wasteland it had been for millenia in no small part thanks to the coven's efforts. About the only other thing Tywin and Rickard managed to agree on was violently putting down any attempts by the drowned priests to reestablish themselves.

Viserys had utilized the distraction to quietly establish himself with a few of the houses neighboring his domain and had set-up wildfyre caches as a deterrent before either of the other kings realized what he had done. The coven could have dealt with them but didn't feel it was worth it as the houses would fall under Lannister control if Viserys suddenly lost them. Tywin Lannister had more than he could ever use and rather than putting his resources into strengthening his already existing bannermen he hoarded them as he waited for opportunities to continue expanding. He was hellbent on having as much control as possible yet he lacked the vision to do anything more should he ever actually gain said control. Tywin wanted to rule the world for no other reason than he didn't want anyone else to. The Iron Islands were the proof, he saw no real value in them other then not letting the Starks have complete control.

He was dangerous and while the coven was reluctant to kill him this soon after peace talks they voted four to three it was safer than leaving him on the board. His heir was a bit of a slow learner but a far better alternative all things considered. One of their basilisks tore a large hole in his ship when it was returning to Casterly Rock. The ship sank less than twenty feet from the coast. No casualties but almost everyone on board was soaked. None seemed to question it when he was discovered the following morning having succumbed to a chill sometime in the night.

Jaime Lannister proved no match for Rickard Stark as the old wolf took advantage of his naivety in all subsequent talks. The Starks were slowly gathering the resources and favors needed to claim more of the Riverlands. The houses under northern control prospered when compared to their counterparts as the coven was more than happy to provide them with any needed supplies to improve their keeps. Jaime apparently took after his grandfather by trying to keep everyone happy and would have lost so much more if not for the fact that he took council from his brother and uncles who tempered the worst of his gullibility.

Aliandra Delacour and Marq Granger, the coven's two eldest were finally old enough to understand the need to keep their magic a secret and thus they consented to ward them at Winterfell. The coven found it annoying how many people assumed Marq would inherit over Aliandra and treated him like the heir when in reality he was the spare. Like his mother, Marq preferred raiding a library to ruling a keep. They would have allowed him to go to the Citadel except the coven trusted them less than they trusted Targaryens.


End file.
